A high street which has 'bucked the trend' is recovering well after the third Covid lockdown with ‘more customers’ visiting.

Queen Street in Great Harwood has seen the majority of its shops filled with unique, independent businesses.

Despite more people ordering online during the pandemic and shop units remaining empty in other towns, this high street has seen people flock back since the reopening of non-essential shops in April. 

Lauren Maguire, who owns cheese shop Brie Mine was able to remain open during lockdown due to her being a food establishment. 

The shop, which opened in August 2020, had a successful run-up to Christmas which helped her keep afloat. Now, Lauren is happy to be on the other side with the business starting to pick up again.

She said: "Customers that come in always talk about how lovely the street is.

Lancashire Telegraph:

"We are getting new ways to bring people in so we have put tables and chairs outside and we offer a dine in service.

"We have had a few people come and sit outside which has been really nice. There's definitely a lot more people walking around the street which is also nice."

Brie Mine is a cheese shop which began with Lauren making cheese tower cakes for weddings before she started making graze boxes and platters which are posted nationwide.

Further down the street is another food-based business, the Green Olive Deli.

Sophie Johnson and Jordan Kemp opened the Green Olive Deli in September 2019, just as the high street began to grow in popularity.

They were closed during the most recent lockdown but they have noticed an increase of customers as lockdown has continued to ease.

Sophie said: "The community is very supportive of the high street. Also, people from out of town, they like coming here because it's good with plenty of different shops. New businesses want to be on the high street as well.

Lancashire Telegraph: Great Harwood couple's deli brings another independent business to 'thriving' town

"It's bucking the trend and there's lots of variety. You've got us, the cheese shop, the bakery, the fishmongers the butchers.

"My customers say it's so much better now than it used to be."

Matthew Williamson owns and runs Cornucopia Grocers which he opened in July last year.

The greengrocer says he enjoys the way the shops come together to use each other’s business to work together.

He said: "All the new business seem to be complimentary, there's not too much of an overlap between them and we have all been supportive of each other.

"We all post on social media about each other, telling customers about each other, sending customers down to other shops.

"We use each other’s products as well - the fishmongers have been in six times today to get vegetables for their kebabs and the butchers has been in three times.

Lancashire Telegraph:

"I have been up to the cheese shop and the butchers and the fishmongers as well. We all use and support each other.

"It's a real community that hasn't been here before which customers have really responded to."

READ: Fudge shop to open on booming Great Harwood high street

READ: Finch Bakery twins close to opening new store

In Hyndburn, 45.3 per cent of addresses on the high street are retail units - the highest of any district in Lancashire.

This is more than double the amount of retail units in Fylde which has 21.8 per cent of buildings on the high street as retail units.