Ross-shire businesses good to go as coronavirus restrictions begin to ease
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
GARDENING gurus keen to get growing after the latest lengthy lockdown were joined by others desperate to crop their own bushy barnets this week.
With garden centres and hairdressers getting the green light to open under the latest relaxation of coronavirus restrictions, there was a collective sigh of relief from hard-pressed business owners and customers suffering from cabin fever.
Heidi Bisset of Munro’s Nurseries at Bogallan on the Black Isle has ridden an emotional rollercoaster over the past year, witnessing the lows of being forced to shut up shop at one of the busiest times of the year and literally throwing away stock that couldn’t be sold and the high of – finally – welcoming back customers, many of whom have become more like friends down the years.
Covid-19, Brexit and the Suez crisis have all hit the resilient business which switched to home deliveries and then click and collect as it pivoted to survive successive blows. A change of Scottish Government plans, which saw garden centres forced to close for the most recent lockdown after many had already ordered stock, was a another bitter blow.
But as customers flocked back this week – despite the best efforts of the weather – Ms Bisset, a partner in the long-established business – had cause to sense the tentative green shoots of recovery.
“From 9am we had people waiting to come in. In lockdown you could tell people were desperate to get going and many more people discovered the joys of gardening,” she said.
“The response has been just fantastic. We have some supply problems as a number of growers are struggling with all that has happened. But people generally understand when we talk to them. We have to make decisions months in advance, so it is a challenge.
“We’ve worked with some of our suppliers for over 20 years and they do look after us and know us pretty well. We will take it as it comes. It is lovely to see the regulars again and the same for the novices who will come back with pictures to show us their success stories.”
The next eagerly-anticipated milestone is April 26, when – all being well – the nursery will be able to reopen its coffee shop.
Ms Bisset: “That will be great, there’s always such a nice buzz about the place when it’s open.”
Also pleased to see customers coming back through the doors this week was Invergordon hairdresser Lisa Mounsey who runs the barber shop, Raw, in the Easter Ross town.
The latest lockdown lasted 100 days and on top of last year’s shutdown, it added to a massive blow for a business dependent on close physical contact with customers.
Working alongside her is Helen Shek – and both are going to busy with solid bookings and a cancellation list now running.
She acknowledges the social function her business has with some older clients enjoying the chance to have a chat and others given the much-needed confidence boost a good haircut can provide.
She said: “If someone leaves feeling amazing and more confident, our job is done. It can even help with someone’s mental health, I believe.
“I’m so grateful that people are willing to wait for appointments – it means a lot. I have never owned a business before and it is daunting. But you just have to get on with it.”
She’s faced a few “Wolverine” heads of hair since reopening and had her scissors and razor tested with some interesting homemade cuts done during lockdown.
