Top Stiches; Surviving Lockdown

by Roving Reporter

With the whole country only slowly emerging from lockdown, Roving Reporter caught up with small business owner Huseyin Karaca.

With two children in lockdown, a girl of 7 and a boy of 2, the family is finding life difficult. Sevim, his wife, with the help of Canongate School is overseeing the schoolwork. Huseyin says that the teacher who sends the work, is very helpful; both children are of course missing visits to the park and seeing friends.

Huseyin feels for those businesses unable to cope. While he agrees that some have made good use of the internet, neither he nor his wife, owner of the haberdashery in South Street, have done so. He has though sold some face masks online that he has made – he wanted to contribute something to help both the NHS and the public, so he started making attractive, washable face masks, which can be ordered online and collected from his shop, which he mans for a couple of hours of an afternoon (there is a notice in his window).

On the whole he thinks the government has done the best it can to aid businesses. He has found Fife Council and the BID St Andrews to be supportive, while his landlord has also tried to be considerate.

Looking into the future, Huseyin believes much will be changed, especially considering the expected reduction in the student population, representing many of his customers.

Reporter is pleased that Huseyin remains relatively optimistic, though understandably he tells Reporter he is upset by what the coronavirus has perpetrated on the world in general, including business.