It is eerily quiet along the promenade as the chill takes hold.
When you think of the traditional seaside destination Southport comes to mind and it is a town that was built on tourism. Fish, chips, and amusement arcades are the bedrock of what makes an erstwhile British summer holiday.
They are all on offer in Southport but how do those businesses survive when the sun does not shine and the beach towels are packed away? At this time of year, most businesses on Nevill Street and along the Promenade have shutters down and are waiting for the cold thaw.
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It's an odd disparity to the hustle and bustle that comes in the summer months and footfall increases. The road is packed with rock shops and arcades.
"Times are tough"
Caroline Crouch has owned Jackson Traditional Fish and Chips on Nevill Street for 20 years. The restaurant is a family affair and her son who works behind the counter will be taking over the next year.
Speaking to the ECHO she said: “Fish and chips are very traditional and tourists love them. Trade is obviously worse in the colder months but we used to get more coaches in the winter but we don’t now.
“Trade is down and customers have complained that there are no shops anymore. The decline of Southport is affecting the summer trade which is a lot quieter.”
To keep going in the winter Caroline like many business owners cuts costs through, staff and operating hours. Recently she put the restaurant on Just Eat and is hoping to stay open longer after half term.
She said: “It's early days and it is very quiet at the moment. Last summer was good but it has deteriorated a little bit. Now we have to battle with the cost of living crisis.
"I put the price up just before Christmas and I really should do it again but I’m trying to keep them steady. I don’t like to do it and I want to keep the customers happy.”
While times are tough Caroline has been a mainstay on the street for two decades and said she still gets people through the door with “good food and good service”.
She said: “We are going to see how it goes in the next few years my son is taking over and wants to buy us out eventually. It is difficult at the moment.”
"We had to plan ahead"
"We want it to feel like a cozy living room," says Helen Walker who owns Walkers on Wesley Street with her husband Simon. "I was a lecturer and my husband had always dreamed of opening a café and I baked a few cakes. Now I'm front of house."
Pictures line the walls of the two-roomed cafe and customers sit idly chatting the time away. The rooms have a familiar and comforting feel to them. Something the owners are proud of.
"Trade is different in the winter obviously we have not got the outside area or as many visitors but we are lucky to have so many regular customers. We have installed a function room upstairs which props up trade and kept the staff we have.
"It was a gamble but we have not had to reduce staff hours and we had to plan ahead."
While Helen concedes that footfall is worse in the winter months she is not "waiting for the summer to come". Her husband Simon said the café has been more affected by the recent train strikes and the rising energy costs.
The couple opened their café three years ago during the height of the pandemic and are used to navigating challenging financial
Simon said: "I think our little corner of Southport is getting more attention than it used to which is great but the train strikes have not helped, it's done us more harm than anything as we get people who come from out of town.
"Prices are going up but we don't want someone to come in one week and the week after everything has gone up by a pound. It can be hard work but we love the café and honestly, everything is going well."
"Southport still has a lot to offer"
Michelle and Al opened The Heidi six years ago. A quintessential northern B&B, on Bold Street there’s a sense of warmth that radiates from every fiber of the six-bedroom guest house, and that air of homely familiarity has seen Michelle rack up a loyal clientele of regular visitors.
The Heidi closed their doors in December and for Michelle, it is a welcome break from their “24-hour a day” job. The Hedi will reopen in March and Michelle believes that Southport has a lot to offer during the winter months.
She said: “We keep money from what have earned, we need a break. It depends on what has happened that year but it is usually enough to cover ourselves.
“This is a big building and to heat it when you have only two or three rooms coming in is difficult. We keep the same prices all year round, we want everyone to have the same experience.
Michelle said that closing for the winter does not make “much of a difference” to their yearly profits. This is compounded by an increase in energy prices and it is “not really worth it” for the Hedi to stay open.
She said: “The type of building it is for us it just makes sense to close down and get on with all the big jobs. Middle of February we start to get interest again.
“We get lots of books for April Bank Holidays and the Grad National so there are things drawing people to Southport in the off-season. To me, Southport still offers an awful lot and the traditional holiday is still alive. Even in the winter.”
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