Shopping local has become that more important in recent times due to the impact of Covid-19 and one card and gift shop in Penrith has kept its loyal band of customers since reopening.

Angel Cards and Gifts is based in one of the oldest buildings in the town on Angel Lane and, like every other business, has had to adapt since coming out of lockdown.

Cumberland & Westmorland Gazette:

Only one of its two floors is currently open and they need to limit the amount of customers in the shop to four, although they do compensate for this by moving some of their displays outside on sunny days.

As things slowly return to normal and people are allowed to socialise a little more, there is plenty of call for their wide range of cards and balloons, which cater for a variety of celebrations.

Manager Alan Bulman said: “We sell greeting cards mainly and associated gifts, such as baby gifts, which we have a good range of, and normally wedding gifts.

“Since we reopened, we’ve had to put up two-metre signage to remind people to social distance.

“We provide hand sanitising gel for people when they come into the shop and we have a screen up at the till.”

Cumberland & Westmorland Gazette:

The shop was extremely busy after reopening on June 15 before hitting something of a lull a couple of weeks later due to road closures in Penrith that impacted on other traders as well.

Business has started to pick up again in the last couple of weeks, however, with Mr Bulman saying: “It was sinful, really, because there were some shops that didn’t have any takings for two days, which is really worrying in the current climate.”

Mr Bulman is hoping to be able to open up the top floor again by September when the shop’s Christmas stock arrives, so he can still be able to still provide a good selection of products, rather than have to move other items to make way.

On what it means to be nominated for Trader of the Week, Mr Bulman said: “Everybody who has come in here over the last month has said they’re so pleased to so us back and it’s touching, really.

“I think people are starting to shop locally more. It’s so stressful going around supermarkets sometimes that people are sometimes keen to visit a smaller shop that might only have two or three people in there.”