Retail isn’t dead. It’s improving.

Bland generic stores in out of town centres are good for everyday product but it is in the local towns where life is finding a way.

Let me take you on a tour of Broadstairs as retail reopens for the first time here since November

This stretch on the way to the beach has been a dead spot since the 90’s...

New lifestyle store Kope & Loko opens next month, Evolve becomes @AffinityBrewCo. Also a new Greek restaurant and Plantlet continues to thrive

Further down we see Co-Op reinvesting the rate relief money with a much improved store the town needs.

A new Chinese restaurant will open in the place where there was a pretty tired cafe before

A refreshed local cafe and a new general stores opens too

Tesco are taking a new spot in town here and renovating what was a dumping ground for the last 5 years

Three Graces (a local gift shop) has moved to a bigger store, a new interiors store opens this week and a tired sandwich shop is being taken over by a really exciting food indie.

A tired off license has had the DFL treatment and is now incredibly busy

This place has been busy all year. This was the shop that inspired the 4 Candles sketch by the Two Ronnie’s.

These two shops have been vacant for years and looked knackered. Now being renovated and ready for reopening again this summer.

My local deli is being refurbed over the next two weeks and a new coffee shop will open next door.

A brand mew cocktail bar opens today and a convenience store sits behind the Sold sign here

A new Vegan cafe is now open all week, a refurbed fish and chip shop has opened in a spot that previously looked terrible and the end of the pier will change from greasy spoon to fish restaurant.

Get out there & support your local economy. Generic stores in the shopping centres will be fine but it is here in your community where you will find the future of retail.

Thanks to people like @soult @newstores and @GeorgeMacD for continuing to show the positive side of retail.