Just how do you follow Wales’ triumph in the Six Nations rugby tournament or the jubilation of the country taking its first steps out of lockdown?… by finding out how one of its top greeting card agents has survived the last year, that’s how!
The one and only Brendan Cahill of Cahill Agencies reveals how he has been ‘digging deep’ with the ‘garden maintenance’ on his trading patch to keep the ‘weeds’ at bay, with his wife’s home cooking acting as his essential ‘plant food’.
Tell us about your patch…
“I have the pleasure of travelling mostly through the country lanes and minor roads of the whole of Wales and Gloucestershire. To complement my working day, I am privileged to carry the most wonderful principals in the industry, namely Alex Clark, Glick, Peter Pauper Press, Tracks, Woodmansterne, Words ‘n’ Wishes and WPL.”
Call a spade a spade, what’s the last year been like for you?
“On a personal level, I have made the most of being at home during the three lockdown periods. Living in the Brecon Beacons has made life a lot more palatable by having such lovely scenic walks on my doorstep. The first two lockdowns were easier for us all to adapt to, due to the glorious weather.
From a business point of view and from all our customers, Covid has had an effect on all of us. It has been a tough and totally surreal year. I had a mixture of customers when we first opened after Lockdown 1 with my garden centre customers experiencing tremendous growth along with the Post Offices who have continued to stay open during the pandemic. During 2020 there were retailers who were BOOMING and then on the complete opposite side, retailers who were really struggling. It’s been a case of Start…Stop…Open Doors…Shut Doors…”
What have been the thorns and the green shoots?
“A real thorn in the side happened in Wales when the Welsh Government announced on 19 October that we would be closing for a two-week firebreak lockdown until 9 November. We all understood the reasons behind this decision, but it was still another blow to our lovely customers. There was some good news to come. The green shoots appeared out of nowhere as soon as Lockdown 2 was over in Wales. Our independent shops were hit with a tsunami of customers (socially distanced of course) after having had a truly awful year of trade, those tills were ringing. I have never experienced so many customers calling me for more charity/boxed cards. It was so nice to hear customers calling with the excitement of being busy and selling out of greeting cards.
As soon as we were all beginning to feel as festive as we could with our shopping, we had the devastating news from the Welsh Government on Saturday afternoon 19 December that as from midnight all non-essential shops had to close, giving my customers only a few hours’ notice.
Wales went into total lockdown on 20 December which included garden centres, as our Welsh Government has classified garden centres as non-essential retail.”
What has been your ‘plant food/fertiliser’?
“My wife Alison’s home cooking. There are too many recipes to mention, but my favourite has got to be her homemade lasagne and lemon drizzle cake. I’m not known for drinking, but I do need to cut down on the bottles of Doom Bar and the odd glass of wine!”
What approach have you taken to your ‘garden maintenance’?
“I’ve been in regular contact with a lot of my customers. I sent Christmas cards, lots of emails and jokes, which have kept the communication flowing.”
Your plant life alter ego…
“If I was to be a flower, it would have to be our flower of Wales – The Daffodil. It is one of the first flowers we see at the beginning of the year which always puts a fresh smile on our faces. Just like all the times our retailers have been forced to close their doors, they will come back stronger when allowed to do so. It doesn’t matter how many times you chop/cut down your Daffodils when the time is right, they too come back stronger and brighter, year after year.”
What are your hopes and dreams for 2021?
“To enjoy the light at the end of the tunnel! When the non-essential shops reopen their doors our independent retailers will be able to show off all the new products in store. With all the doom and gloom in the High Street, let’s all keep supporting the independents, not just for the next few months, but to continue to Christmas 2021 and beyond.”
