Vincent Page of Antiques on High writes for the Herald.

If you run a business, be ready to go into the season with your eyes wide open ready to take every opportunity that presents itself.

Whilst the darkness and struggles of the winter now seem to be firmly behind us, we should be ready to jump at every chance we can to increase our turnover.

We cannot afford to be complacent. Earlier in the year I was chastised because I suggested that advertising was a key addition to building a business.

Whilst the costs may be prohibitive at this precise moment,

it doesn’t detract from the simple fact that this is true, whether any of us can afford it or not is a different matter.

Being a traditional seaside town, many businesses rely on the visitor numbers to increase their turnover during the optimum months and although there has been a distinct drop so far in the visitors this year that shouldn’t stop us as business owners standing firm in our efforts to ensure they enjoy themselves once they are here.

The Sidmouth Folk festival is well known for the people it attracts to the town and the Hotels and B&B’s benefit from its existence and there is no doubt it provides a certain vitality to the atmosphere throughout the week for all to enjoy.

However!

Many shop owners complain that during the week of the festival, the countless stalls on the seafront which are clearly associated with the festivals existence, actually stop the public from coming into the town and buying in the shops, with much of the stock that the towns shops carry being replicated on the sea front stalls, yet the owners of these stalls do not have the obligation and commitment of the rates or regular bills that the towns shops have to fork out for, surely the council could help?

Would it not be an idea for the council to allow official traders in the town to have a legitimate stall on the sea front, during the summer months at a nominal fee which would enable them to point customers in the direction of their shop and act as a promotional tool for their regular business enticing those to make a purchase while still in their beach attire?