I’m always saddened when a tackle shop closes, like Castaline just has in East Lindsey in the U.K. The reasons for the closing of many established tackle shops are manifest; competition from the internet, declining numbers of anglers, and differing styles of fishing all contribute to the failure of a particular shop.
In the case of Castaline, however, it seems it’s untimely demise was the product of the city council. “I’m fed up with working on a headwind against the council,” shop owner Pete Collins said. “Towns need shops, shops need shoppers and shoppers need free parking. It’s as simple as that. They have put the charges up and they go up year by year. I’m 62 and I’m pissed off with it. All the council is bothered about is revenue from the car parks and it’s driving people away. If you talk to the council about it, they just don’t want to know.”
Sounds pretty ridiculous, if you ask me, and typical of several similar situations I have seen here in the states. Make parking too expensive and you drive shoppers away, shops close, and the shopping districts suffer. A sad story, told too often.
— Dr. Todd
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