Many in the Inner East did it tough during the lockdowns and restrictions enforced by governments during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Few suffered more than small business owners, retailers and hospitality venues.
For us, life is returning closer to normal, but the recovery has not yet arrived for our business sector as it wrestles with increasing costs, staff shortages, supply chain problems - and as importantly - the changing face of business post-COVID.
As Bridge Rd Traders Association president Jackson Wade observes in an interview with us this week, the pandemic has changed the habits and needs of clients, in a number of cases putting a wrecking ball through previous business models. Working from home and the slow return to the workplace is but one of the dynamics in play.
"The landscape is different after COVID," Wade told us. "We are yet to see what the post-pandemic customer looks like."
We need to think of the plight of business owners and in these sectors. For them, the ordeal continues, although in a different way.
We often urge readers to support their local businesses, particularly in hospitality - and we do so again. The best thing readers can do is to think local and shop locally. A good Christmas may make or break our retailers, and they need your support.
