Many shops on the High Street closed due to the Covid-19 outbreak. Some of the empty units are being filled by a new breed of first-time entrepreneurs, even if rising costs pose a challenge.
"I didn't think I'd be running a chocolate shop, though I do love chocolate," says the man who runs the store.
He lost his job as a project manager during the Pandemic. He set up a business selling homemade chocolates online, making enough money to invest in his own shop in Ashby-de-la-Zouch.
His family helps out at the shop. The online shop brings in less money than the physical one.
"Fuel and energy prices are going up, so we are going through tough times," says Mr. Tiplady. It's difficult because chocolate and treats aren't a necessity. I hope this is my future.
He believes the High Street will eventually recover.
He is brought by the shop. Customers can either take away his chocolates or consume them at his place of business.
He had to remind customers every day of his products with constant social media posts.
Mr Tiplady says people come from outside of the area to shop. They enjoy the fact that they can browse multiple places.
A home-made pizza was being sold by Marty Duggan. He used a portable oven in his backyard to cook them.
He tried to stand out by using local ingredients. He built his own website to process his own messages.
He used to work in restaurant food service. He was given time to give his sourdough pizza side hustle, called Pi Guy, a push, when he was put on leave.
He didn't know he had so many customers from his garden. After experimenting with some pop-up shop appearances, he decided to take a two-year lease on a unit in a new outdoor covered space for traders called Trade Market.
He says that he was joined by many other first-time food entrepreneurs who decided to go into retail.
It has been difficult to get used to, because we have busy days and quiet days. The rewards of having more space and products to sell far outweigh the negatives.
He says that the market is jittery due to rising costs and that there has been a slight dip in customer spending.
He doesn't regret investing in a shop. He points out that quick service food firms tend to do better during recessions.
There were 9,300 fewer retail outlets on British High Streets in March 2022 than there were in March 2020.
There was a decrease in the number of stores.
There were some surprising winners from the era of social distance. There are more places to eat and drink.
The British High Street has evolved from a place to buy things to a place to do things.
First-time entrepreneurs in the online space drove the increase in the number of new businesses being created during lock downs.
According to a research paper by the Bank of England, new businesses tend to grow in areas with the highest shop closings. The new businesses had enough money to take advantage of the good rental prices.
Kien Tan, director of retail strategy at PwC, says that the swine flu has made High Street space available to start-ups who have not been able to afford the rent.
He warns that being an online retailer has completely different operating economics and skill requirements than being a brick and mortar retailer.
Prior to the Pandemic there was a sex and counsellor relationship for a major charity.
She was given the time to set up her dream business from home when she was on vacation.
The drinks that the company sells are branded to tell the story of their community.
Setting up a website and shipping orders to customers far away was one of the ways the business was successful. Local bars were persuaded to stock their drinks.
Working from home gave the Fairweathers the chance to spend more time with their children.
They found an old office space on the seafront and leased it to open a bar and shop. It is a part of the online business. Ms Fairweather says that one benefit of having the shop is that local customers can buy online and collect from there, saving the business time and costs.
Ms Fairweather had a difficult time transitioning from home-based, online business to physical shop.
We didn't recruit any staff for the first few months as we adjusted to the new demands. We worked over 60 hours a week.
Ms Fairweather can once again be based in her "cosy office at home" with the addition of two staff.
There are plans to open a second shop, but rising energy costs are making it difficult.
Ms Fairweather says that a bar needs to be warm to encourage people to come in.
Electric heaters are inefficient because the shop doesn't have a central heating system. The shop's windows aren't new.
Even with rising costs, I think it's good for our business to have a physical location.
The Fairweathers' bar is in the same industry as the chocolate and pizza shops.
As energy costs rise and the recession looms, it remains to be seen if these entrepreneurs can find success with bricks and mortar.
Business reporter Dougal Shaw can be followed on social media.
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