How did the previous lockdown affect Melbourne? We revist this story with Feathers Boutique founder and owner, Margaret Porritt.
The Feathers business has definitely changed.
Our core demographic and loyal customers have shopped with us for years.
They love to come into our boutiques and try things on - they are very tactile.
Now obviously with lockdown and retail being closed online shopping has increased and the Feathers customer is learning and enjoying this new process of shopping.
But to be honest discussing success is pretty hard after being in two lockdowns back to back it is hard to gain momentum.
Trade is disastrous.
The first lockdown and the lead up to it was horrific – federal and state support certainly did not mitigate the devastation caused.
The constant changes to legislation and Fair Work made every day like walking through a minefield.
Going into the second phase lockdown was easier with relation to what we expected however we have found Stage 4 has presented a new set of problems mainly with logistics and deliveries.
Obviously, our customer cannot go into our boutiques to shop so those who were not active online shoppers have now had to learn.
Small purchases are more of a trend, those big investment purchases we just are not really seeing at the moment.
This lockdown feels different, it’s a lot harder and we have been hit hard.
However, during this time all our classic styles have become so popular again – especially our locally made garments.
We have a lot of loungewear and soft dressing and Feathers is renowned for its comfort and beautiful fabrics.
Luckily we tailor to home dressing very nicely. We offer casual chic dressing for all women of all ages and silhouettes.
[For 2021 we are] hoping for a better year with no disasters but it is very hard to plan anything at the moment. It is like quicksand – every day is different!