Every time the high street comes up, somebody says the same thing:
“Aye, but online businesses killed it.”
Naw. They didnae. Don’t talk pish.
What folk actually mean is big online businesses, not the small ones trying to survive. Not the independents. Not the sole traders. Not the people doing their own packing at midnight because they can’t afford staff yet.
They mean warehouses the size of Inverclyde, paying less tax than a corner shop, somehow still getting called innovative.
That’s no innovation. That’s avoidance with better PR.
Small Online Businesses Aren’t Faceless
Small online businesses aren’t some abstract concept.
They’re real people. They’re local owners. They’re paying local bills, council tax, business costs, electricity that keeps going up, and stress that never switches off. They’re also paying for shop fittings, tills, and equipment just to have a space to open their doors, even if that space barely sees anyone walking past.
Take businesses like Onyx Dragon, rooted locally, owned locally, contributing locally, just not limiting themselves to the ten folk who might wander past a half-shuttered unit on a Tuesday afternoon.
And here’s the reality most people ignore. Many similar businesses that did open shops have already shut down. If “support local” was enough to keep them afloat, they’d still be open today.
The harsh truth is this: the alternative for small businesses is either shutting up completely or selling online anyway. It’s not about betraying the high street. It’s about surviving.
If people genuinely want independent businesses like Onyx Dragon back on the high street, then maybe the solution is simple. Buy their products. Give them the chance to save enough cash for a few months’ rent. Let them set up a shop when it’s viable. Support them, don’t just say you care.
Being online doesnae stop you being local. It just stops you going bust.
The Bit Everyone Skips
Here’s the part that always gets left out of the conversation.
- The rent is mental.
- The business rates are worse.
- Energy prices are through the roof, heating, electricity, everything.
- You still need to pay for shop fittings, tills, and equipment to even open the doors.
- The council still wants paid even if your shop’s empty, the heating’s off, and footfall’s vanished.
The high street has been priced like it’s Princes Street while delivering footfall like a bus stop at midnight.
So aye, people sell online. Not because they hate communities. Not because they’re greedy. But because the alternative is shutting the doors completely. They’re forced to adapt or die.
Selling Nationally Isn’t Selling Your Soul
There’s this idea that if you sell beyond your postcode, you’ve somehow betrayed the high street.
That’s nonsense.
Selling nationally doesn’t mean you’ve sold your soul. It means your wee business might actually last long enough to pay next month’s electricity, cover the shop fittings you finally got round to, and keep the heating on through winter.
People ordering online aren’t traitors either. They’re skint. They’re tired. They’re doing what they need to do, same as the businesses serving them.
If You Want Shops Back, Try This Radical Idea
If we genuinely want thriving high streets again, here’s a wild thought.
- Cap the rent.
- Fix the rates.
- Keep energy costs reasonable.
- Stop punishing small traders for existing.
And while we’re at it, stop blaming independent businesses while the real culprits dodge tax, offshore profits, and call it “efficiency”.
If you really care about independent businesses on your high street, don’t just say it. Buy from them online. Give them a chance to save up, and support them until they can open their own shop. That’s how you actually help.
What Actually Killed the High Street
The high street didnae die because of Etsy. It didnae die because someone sold candles on a website.
It was strangled by greed, neglect, and decisions made by people who’ve never had to choose between buying stock, paying the heating, or covering the till.
So the next time someone says “online killed the high street”, correct them.
Because what actually killed it was a system that punishes small businesses for surviving and then has the cheek to ask why they left.
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