We acknowledge that Tesco opened in Rhuthun/Ruthin five years ago this very month…
The trouble with celebrating the first ever Independents' Day is that the 4th July in 2011 falls on a Monday. Perhaps not the ideal day to pick if you want residents in Rhuthun/Ruthin to support their local independent shops but choosing Friday 8th July or Saturday 9th July would probably lose its impact. For, just in case you haven't got the pun, today is not just Independents' Day but stateside it's independence day.The observant among us will've seen the badge on this blog and a handful of posters in town trader windows. Being Monday in Rhuthun, some of those traders won't actually be open today. A few others will have a later start than normal. That may seem ironic but the reality is that Monday's somewhat quieter.
Monday does come on a good day for getting the message in the press, though. Since the end of May, the Free Press now publishes on Wednesday morning (rather than being widely available Wednesday afternoon but dated Thursday). There's to be a press-specific song & dance on the Square at 11 a.m. today (about Independents' Day, not the sort we saw on Saturday). And this will give added energy & enthusiasm locally to Rhuthun's part in the national campaign.
For the campaign is urgent. In Rhuthun's long history, town traders may have competed among themselves but they have all benefited from coalescing together in one convenient place. Like all market towns, the coming together in a well-situated location has been Rhuthun's strength and how we once chose to do business. It began to develop into something we recognise today at the turn of the 20th century, when town traders were beginning to expand. Slowly then quickly stores blossomed, a process that evolved and developed throughout the 20th century in response to changing demand, a growing population and increasing affluence.
Then, everything changed. Suddenly, not only did the town have a single outside competitor, just as suddenly it was on the back foot. The rival was not part of the time-honoured competitive mix within the town and its scale was something else. Crucially, the town now had to fight against the interloper, the trespasser, the newcomer, this Johnny come lately. Everything turned on its head. All of a sudden, it was all about survival.
It's been and continues to be a struggle. This month, hopefully without labouring the issue too much, we at The Rhuthun/Ruthin Blog will focus on the changes we've seen in the town post-Tesco. What better way to start, though, than by raising the town's profile on Independents' Day. Pop into town today and show your support for family run businesses.