Local shoppers who’ve ever considered spending a bit more of their hard-earned in Orange to support small traders, now would be a super time to start.

High interest rates and inflation, the current fuel crisis, subdued trading conditions, and the long-term closure of Victoria Pass, are just a few of the challenges facing retailers in the Colour City, Jack Evans — owner of iconic local tradie's clothing business, the Worklocker in Peisley Street — told Orange City Life.believes.

In some good news, the one-time head of Business Orange (the former Chamber of Commerce) said that many local retailers have been doing the hard yards for years, with the current situation only more of the same.

“There’s no sugar-coating it, it’s just tough for business… we had a drought, COVID, a cost-of-living crisis, and a flood in the middle. I’ve been working here since I was 10 and you get to the point where you don’t want to be all gloom and doom, but we’re fortunate to have a lot of experienced retailers; this isn’t their first rodeo,” he added.

There are some well-worn ways for small local retailers and other businesses to help cope with the current squeeze, he believes.

“For clothes, don’t rush your winter lines in, and be selective... you don’t want to have all your money sitting on your shelves.

“Look at staffing costs and other overheads as well, but that has been the case for the last five years,” Jack said.

He said that local small business can survive the current challenging conditions as long as our key industries remain strong.

“You’re looking at our primary industries — mining, health, tourism, farming — if they start to be affected, you’ll see a trickle-down effect onto everyone else.

“But we’re lucky to have such a diversified economy in that respect.”

Sudden closure of the main route to western NSW at Mount Victoria is another headwind that no one saw coming, with Central West councils taking a pro-active approach to the problem, including the 'Other Ways to the West' campaign developed by the Central NSW Joint Organisation.

"The closure came before Easter and the school holidays, and I have heard from accommodation providers that people had cancelled believing the new route caused too many delays, was too long and dangerous, and even that the route was shut altogether.

“The 'Other Routes to the West' promotion is designed to let people know we’re still accessible, and that access to western NSW is not in fact closed, as some people apparently believed.” Jack said.

The main worry with the response from government, he argues, is not the fanciful schemes like emergency declarations or reviving the hugely-expensive tunnel through the mountains proposal, but the lack of any concrete plans at all.

“When you look at the government, they produce things like the Transport White Paper for the Blue Mountains and say, ‘These are the problems’. Well, we know what the problems are, but nowhere do we see or hear of any concrete plans; I mean, this is a 200-year-old bridge, and there is a total lack of forward planning and shovel-ready solutions,” he argued.

In the end, though, for small business to survive, it needs the support of country communities... local trading, instead of often trashy online imported alternatives.

“I’m not naive enough to think that people won’t buy stuff remotely, but for local retailers, there’s no excuse now to not have an online presence,” Jack said.

“Come and support Orange business, if you’ve ever had a thought to shop local, now’s the time to do it; 60 cents of every dollar is recycled in the local community, and it’s not just keeping juniors in jobs, but things like sports sponsorships and more,” he concluded.