Our good friends at the Filey Bay Initiative have produced many leaflets on a huge range of subjects. Their latest focuses on Filey’s shops. As the leaflet notes, the shopping streets have moved from the former fishing quarter at Queen Street, to their present location as the town expanded during the Victorian era.

We are fortunate to have many independent traders in the town and have largely avoided the national chains thus far. That is partly due to the relatively small population of the town and the highly seasonal nature that comes with being a seaside resort. Perhaps smaller independent retailers are better placed to react to the ups and downs of trade in Filey? Who knows, but it was certainly a boon to everyone during lockdown, when many businesses were able to offer community friendly deliveries and other such initiatives.

As ever, with our high street, it is a case of use it or lose it. But, the prognosis for Filey appears good in the foreseeable future. Small independent, and even niche businesses, do seem more resilient in the face of online shopping and faceless national and intentional chain stores.

One of Filey’s finest, Adrian’s butcher’s, his pork pies are amazing.