Chapter 30
T he first flyers had appeared in shop windows like bright blue and yellow declarations of war.
Daisy spotted one in the bakery window as she walked past after dropping the twins at school, then another in the chemist, and a third taped to the noticeboard outside the post office.
By lunchtime, they were everywhere she looked, cheerful and defiant against the autumn drizzle.
SAVE PRETTY BEACH INDEPENDENTS
The headlines were detailed in bold letters, with a photograph of the high street that Chloe had taken on one of Pretty Beach’s perfect summer mornings when the bunting fluttered and the hanging baskets overflowed with colour. Below that, in smaller text:
Say NO to corporate chains.
Support local businesses.
Keep Pretty Beach special.
The Facebook group that Xian had created was growing by the hour.
Every time Daisy checked her phone, there were new members, new comments, and new posts from people sharing their memories of shopping in Pretty Beach's independent stores. One of Daisy’s regulars had written a long post about how Daisy always remembered exactly which authors she liked and ordered books in especially.
Someone else had shared a photograph of their children reading in the bookshop's corner, curled up in the wingback chairs with picture books.
The responses, posts and rallying came flooding in with heart emojis and agreement.
People tagged their friends and shared stories about why Pretty Beach's independent shops mattered to them.
Daisy scrolled through it all with a mixture of gratitude and growing anxiety.
The support and fighting spirit were amazing, but she couldn't shake the feeling that GayesBooks had more resources and determination that community spirit couldn't match.
By Friday afternoon, she’d needed air and perspective, so when Susannah had suggested Daisy walk up to the lighthouse, while she made the girls tea, she’d grabbed her jacket gratefully.
The wind was sharp as she climbed the coastal path, salt spray misting her face and seagulls wheeling overhead.
As she walked and breathed, Pretty Beach was spread out below her, looking postcard-perfect in the afternoon light.
She couldn’t quite believe that something was going to threaten its lovely existence.
After a message came in from Miles, he called her. ‘Hey.’
‘Hi.’
‘Where are you? It sounds windy.’
‘Walking up to the lighthouse to clear the cobwebs. Hang on, I’ll FaceTime you.’
With Miles on her screen, she flipped it and panned around. ‘It's beautiful. I can see why you never want to leave.’
Daisy pulled her jacket closer against the wind. ‘Look at it all, down there. The bakery, the bookshop, the chemist and all the little places that make it special. In five years, half of them could be gone, replaced by chains that look exactly the same as every other high street in the country.’
Daisy had kept Miles abreast of everything that had happened regarding the GayesBooks situation including what had happened at the town meeting. He’d joined the group, she’d sent him a picture of the posters around the town and he’d commented on the hashtag on social media.
‘The campaign seems to be getting good support. That Facebook group Xian started has hundreds of members already.’
Daisy shook her head. ‘Facebook likes don't pay the bills, though, do they? GayesBooks has done their research, they know exactly how much money they can make here, I reckon. A few flyers and some social media posts aren't going to change their business plan.’
‘You don't know that.’
Daisy sat down on a bench by the lighthouse, pulled her knees up and wrapped her arms around them.
‘I do know that, actually. I've been reading about what happens when chains like GayesBooks move into small towns.
The independent bookshops don't stand a chance.
They can sell bestsellers for less than I pay wholesale, they've got marketing budgets I can't compete with, they can offer customers everything I offer plus convenience and savings.’
‘But they can't offer what you offer, can they? The personal service, the recommendations, the atmosphere you've created.’
‘You sound like Holly and Xian. All this talk about community and character and supporting local businesses.
It's lovely in theory, but when people are struggling to make ends meet and they can save money on books by shopping at GayesBooks instead of my place, what do you think they're going to choose?’
Miles was quiet for a moment. ‘So, you're giving up before the fight's even properly started?’
‘I'm being realistic. GayesBooks wouldn't be fishing around here if they didn't think they could make money. They've calculated exactly how quickly they can capture my customer base and drive me out of business. This is business and a professional corporation destroying an amateur operation.’
‘Since when did you become so defeatist?’
‘Since I realised how much I have to lose. It's not just the bookshop, Miles. There’s so much to it.’
‘You're assuming GayesBooks will definitely get the building, definitely open successfully, and definitely drive you out of business. None of that's guaranteed.’
‘Isn't it? They're professional retailers with unlimited resources going up against me and my temperamental coffee machine. What exactly do you think is going to happen?’
‘I think Pretty Beach is full of people who value what you've created and don't want to see it destroyed by some faceless corporation. I think the campaign that's building could actually make a difference.’
‘People say they support independent businesses right up until they realise it costs more. Then suddenly, convenience and savings matter more than community spirit.’ Daisy stared out at the sea, grey and choppy under a cloudy sky.
‘I'm trying to protect myself from disappointment.
I've had enough of believing things might work out and then watching them fall apart.’
‘This is different, though. You've got a whole town behind you now. Suntanned Pete is organising petitions and the flyers and all. Holly is coordinating media coverage, Xian is building social media campaigns. That's not nothing.’
‘Hmm.’ Daisy could see Pretty Beach's church spire and the curve of the high street where her bookshop sat between the bakery and the old building that GayesBooks wanted to transform.
From where she sat, it all looked so settled and permanent, as if it had always been exactly this way and always would be.
‘What if the campaign works and GayesBooks decides Pretty Beach isn't worth the hassle? What if the community rallies and actually manages to protect what matters to them?’
‘Then I'll be very happily surprised.’
‘But you don't believe it will happen.’
‘I believe GayesBooks has lawyers and marketing experts and financial backing that a Facebook group can't compete with. I believe they've identified Pretty Beach as a profitable opportunity and they're not going to be put off by some flyers and a petition.’
Miles raised his eyebrows. ‘Yeah, you do have a point.’