The global pandemic has certainly been a challenging time for us all, but especially for high street businesses that were forced to shut up shop for months on end, thanks to the lockdown restrictions introduced around the country to help prevent the spread of covid.
The situation demanded a lot of financial support for businesses from the government in order for them to keep head above water – and one such enterprise that benefited from East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s Love Your High Street Fund was The Beverley Bookshop, owned and run by Lucy Rawnsley.
The bookshop itself is something of a Beverley institution, having traded in the market town’s high street for almost 21 years!
Ms Rawnsley got in touch with the Invest East Yorkshire business support team and received a grant from the Love Your High Street fund, which she went on to use for a a rebrand and refurbishment, including improving the lighting, accessibility for wheelchairs, reorganising the store layout, and an external and internal repaint.
She had this to say about working with the team:
“I was guided through it by one of the council’s business advisers, who was very helpful and encouraging. I am delighted with the finished refurbishment [to the shop].
“We had a very clear vision of what we wanted to provide for our customers and they are hugely complimentary about it. I feel that we have improved what is on offer on the high street and by now being The Beverley Bookshop, our hope is to provide for our local community for many years to come.”
The Love Your High Street fund from East Riding of Yorkshire Council offered businesses, organisations and local towns and parish councils 100 per cent grants of up to £10,000 (subject to meeting eligibility criteria) during the pandemic.
If you’d like to find out more about how Invest East Yorkshire can help you develop your business in the future, get in touch with us today.
