A WHITEHAVEN shopkeeper has explained the challenges business owners face when trying to keep their shop appealing. 

Louise Savage, of Richardson's in Whitehaven, has said workers at independent shops in and around Whitehaven are constantly trying to reinvent their stores and keep them up to date. 

Much of this is done through the organisation of the shop, particularly window displays. 

Despite competition from the internet, many shopkeepers are continuing to trade on the towns high street. 

Brooks entices customers with their large screen TVs and gadgets for the home while Dixon's department store offers several ideas for how to spruce up your living room as well as the latest fashions.

Michael Moon's shop sign tells you about the inventor of time travel and his window is packed with ideas for your nighttime read.

Louise Savage from Richardsons said: 'When we moved to the high street from our old warehouse, we decided to keep it as old world as possible, and now it's a rare day when we don't have tourists taking several photos inside the shop or of the old delivery bike outside.

"Nostalgia reassures people especially when we seem to be bombarded with bad news and conflicts all the time. I used to think all these models and things were dust collectors but to be honest, I love it now and I love the response we get from visitors."

In one window Richardson's has a garden-scale railway, which they introduced during the Covid pandemic. 

The other window houses a coffee roaster which has been used to roast fresh coffee four days a week for the last twenty years.