The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Why high street will always be right home for family jewellers
Little the Jewellers has been a mainstay in Elgin town centre for more than six decades and its prominent High Street location is still the jewel in its crown.
While national chains have come and gone from the historic heart, the family firm has remained a constant presence.
The High Street has changed completely since Little the Jewellers opened in 1960.
The street was still the main Aberdeen to Inverness road, cars could park at the door, the Edgar Road retail parks were fields and online shopping was unimaginable.
Despite the changes though, the High Street remains the place to be for this Elgin business.
John Little, better known as Jab, opened in Elgin after previously travelling around Scotland selling jewellery for his father’s Glasgow-based business.
Visits to Moray were a highlight for him, so when the opportunity came to buy on the town’s Commerce Street, he jumped at the chance.
The firm is now in its fourth generation of family management with Sian Little, Jab’s greatgrandaughter, joining her aunt and Jab’s granddaughter Karen Mackay in the day-to-day running last year after 10 years as a sales assistant.
Despite its storied heritage in Elgin, Sian revealed the firm was always innovating and experimenting to stay on top.
Giving the customer an experience they won’t get from a mobile phone or tablet remains their primary mission though.
Ms Little said: “We have a mix of customers. There are a lot of loyal regulars who we’ll see a few times a year and we get a lot of people looking for that special one-off purchase.
“What we try and do is really narrow down what the customer is looking for. Is it gold or silver? Is it something more traditional? If so, we’ve got a Scottish range.
“We really try to give them that experience, build a rapport with them, so really get what they’re after, which is why so many keep coming to us for years.”
Attracting shoppers into Elgin town centre though is becoming increasingly challenging.
The Edgar Road retail parks have never been as occupied and online shopping trends are here to stay.
However, Ms Little believes parking incentives for shoppers could make the High Street more attractive.
She said: “Where we are, on the High Street and Commerce Street, parking is definitely a big issue for us.
“Potentially looking at periods of free parking, I think that works really well at driving footfall.
“When you look at the retail parks, they’ve got massive car parks and they’re free. Some offers in the town centre could help compete with that.”
A recent town centre “health check” in Elgin run by Moray Council last year highlighted the evening economy and daytime events as current weaknesses.
Ms Little believes the High Street needs to be made a more comfortable and welcoming area to spend afternoons with friends and family.
It is hoped the reopening of Poundland will spruce up one end of the Plainstones, but the Little the Jewellers boss believes more can be done.
She said: “More benches would be good. It would make such a difference, especially in the summer.
“There are so many amazing businesses in Elgin. It’s really important to find ways to encourage people to shop local to support them all.”
With more than 60 years in business in Elgin behind them, Little the Jewellers has had to move with changing times on the High Street.
Ms Little is constantly monitoring changing trends to ensure they are keeping up with what shoppers want.
She said: “Last year we introduced Little Spark, which is permanent jewellery. It can be bracelets welded together instead of being able to open with a clasp.
“It’s really popular at the moment. We get a lot of mothers and daughters coming in together to get them to complement each other.”
And like changing trends in fashion, Ms Little believes it is essential to keep up with changing business trends on the High Street.
With a growing number of national retailers leaving the town centre, Ms Little says it is vital to find incentives for local firms to fill their place.
She said: “Getting the empty shops filled would be amazing, particularly in the St Giles Centre because there are so many spaces in there.
“I don’t know if something can be looked at in terms of rents and rates to encourage people to move in. There needs to be some incentives, I think.”