Despite continued fears around the impact of online shopping on small businesses, Southend’s traders say they still offer something the internet cannot – and the city’s residents appear to agree.
Family-owned Toys N Tuck, in Queens Road, opened its doors 33 years ago – the same year current owner Emma Dadswell was born – and has been a mainstay ever since.
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Toys N Tuck has been entertaining Southend’s youngsters for decades (Image: George Pizani) Emma, 33, said the secret to the company’s success has been staying aware of the trends that her customers are interested in.
“We used to be exclusively focused on toys for children, and although that’s still our focus, in recent years we’ve moved much more into catering to the adult collectors market,” she said.
According to Emma, this year’s festive period was a year-on-year improvement for Toys N Tuck, despite early fears of a slow Christmas.
Toys N Tuck employee, Emma Rogers, 32, enjoys working through the Christmas period (Image: George Pizani)
She said: “Things were looking very quiet to begin with, but as we got closer they really picked up.”
While Toys N Tuck may be one of Southend’s more established independent businesses, Christmas 2024 also proved fruitful for the city’s newer traders.
Wine Meats Cheese opened on Market Place in late November, and Southend’s residents have already been enjoying its carefully curated range of produce.
Daniel Carter, 37, who runs the wine, meat and cheese shop with his fiancée Sally Duvall, 42, said he has been blown away by the early reaction from customers.
Daniel Carter opened Wines Meats Cheese with his partner and has seen strong early success (Image: George Pizani)“Since opening our doors only six weeks ago, we’ve been blown away by the warmth and support of the Southend community. We’re thrilled to be a growing part of this vibrant area.”
The pair hope to build on the successful first Christmas by opening both indoor and outdoor dining space in 2025.
Daisy and Ryan hope their new store can continue to attract Southend’s younger shoppers (Image: George Pizani)Another new business to arrive in Southend in 2025 was the Victoria Shopping Centre’s Dr Drip Clothing – specialising in alternative and 2000’s fashion.
Owners Ryan Nuttgens and Daisy Knowland, both 23, said they have been “overwhelmed” by how busy they were during the festive period.