TRADERS in Castle Place are remaining defiant in the face of adversity and have pledged to battle against the demise of the town centre.

The JD Wetherspoon-owned Sir Isaac Pitman, which closed last week, acted as a gateway to the shopping centre, with punters exiting the pub through the door at the rear which led them to the shops.

With that pull factor now gone and the long-standing Clive’s Cameras and Imaging Centre less than one month away from closing, the remaining traders admit they have concerns over the future but say they are not giving up without a fight.

Bill Ellis, manager of Power Shoe Repairs and Key Centre, said: “If you want to stay ahead of the game you have to offer something a bit different. That’s why we recently splashed out £7,400 on a state-of-the-art key cutting machine which nobody else in the area has.

“Of course shop closures are a concern to us, they’re bound to be, but since we got the new machine in business has been good and we’re remaining confident. People have to use their local shops or lose them – it’s as simple as that.”

When Clive and Wendy Turner, the owners of Clive’s Cameras and Imaging Centre, close up to retire on May 6 it will take the total of empty premises to four.

Downstairs, the once thriving market place is home to more vacant spaces and that number will increase when vinyl specialist Hero’s Records closes in August. But it’s not all doom and gloom. Sweet shop Sweet Sensations has enjoyed a successful honeymoon period of trading since opening nine months ago.

Shop owner Ken Faggetter said: “I started off with just 10 jars of sweets and have managed to build it up to what it is today.

“When I started I was told I was stupid and I wouldn’t make any money but we have been constantly beating our targets and the last few days in particular have been exceptional.

“We’re now looking to expand our store by renting a larger space and hope to do so within the next fortnight.

“I’d like to move to a shop in the future but the upfront cost is way too much. All the money that goes into the till is put straight back into the business – buying new stock, mainly.

“The more stock I have, the more chance I have of getting more people in.”

Philip Shaw, owner of Shaws Direct, said: “Of course it’s a concern. The consumer shops where it wants to shop and that is mostly online these days – it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that.

“It’s also not hard to see the town centre is shifting in Trowbridge with all these new developments. We have to constantly reinvent ourselves and we do that by offering better value for money.”

JMS Carpet & Flooring, owned by friends Jason Ross, Malcolm Brewer and Simon Hardwick, is proof that companies can thrive downstairs in Castle Place.

It opened a stall last year and got off to a flying start, which allowed it to move to new premises in Castle Street earlier this year.

Administration manager Sally Ross said: “It was really busy for them in Castle Place so the shop was bought and I was brought in to take care of the administrative side of things.

“We’ve had a really busy first couple of weeks since moving and we’re running a Facebook competition with free carpet on offer which has had a great response.

“We’re about to launch a new website too which we hope will get the business out there even more and we’ve had our children delivering leaflets around the town to spread the word – it has been a real family effort.”