Village centre traders are encouraging residents to #ShopLocal in the run up to this Christmas – with several businesses staying open later every Wednesday between now and the big day.
Starting tonight (27th November) until December 18th, Philo’s Espresso Bar and Eatery, The Bottle Top, Ruby Rae, Sweetie Boutique, Summers at Eleven, The Pamper Room, David Richards Jewellers and The Children’s Society Shop will all be trading until 7pm.
It was Philo’s manager Jamie Battersby who came up with the idea. He told RUDDINGTON.info: “We decided to do early evening shopping in the run up to Christmas to make the local shops in the village more accessible to as many people as we can. A lot of people can’t use the village during the usual ‘9-5’ hours, so we though why not give it a go and stay open until seven one night a week? This also in turn supports the high street and the shops that are here.”
Jamie then spoke to other traders in Ruddington about the plan and several decided to join in – meaning a variety of different businesses will now be opening later. The Frame Breakers pub is also putting on some special food and drink offers during and after 7pm for those out shopping.
Alex Preston of The Bottle Top said: “We already do two late night openings over the weekend to accommodate those who would otherwise struggle to have access to the high street. We are big believers in supporting the local economy so try to accommodate the lifestyles of the villagers – which often means they can only access village shops outside of working hours. We thought that having a midweek late night shopping would be fab because the weekends up to Christmas are often taken up with visits to family, and other responsibilities. So opening up late midweek means Christmas shopping can still be done locally.”
Jamie added: “Traditionally Wednesday is a late night shopping day in town, so we picked that day. Not only that, the village tends to be a little quiet on a Wednesday, as there is half day closing, so we chose Wednesday to try and increase the footfall within the village midweek. We hope it will be a success – and maybe even bring new faces to our shops and village as we are open later!”
This Wednesday evening shopping initiative is in addition to the Christmas Makers’ Night organised by Ruddington Village Centre Partnership on Friday December 6th – when many traders will be staying open until 9pm.
If you’re visiting Ruddington from further afield, remember Nottingham City Transport’s Green 10 runs to our village centre throughout the evening for a #RuddyGoodDayOut!
