City indies have held a summit on what the future holds amid rising costs and recent high-profile closures.
The meeting was hosted by Emily Bridges at her Malt and Mardle micro pub alongside the Norfolk Business and Improvement Centre (BIPC) and saw firms from Magdalen Street and St Augustines gather on Wednesday, January 25.
Following recent closures of Frank's Bar in Bedford Street and the York Tavern, business owners discussed how to stay afloat in a difficult economic crisis as well as personal things such as mental health.
Ms Bridges said the night was as much about how the people behind the business could cope with tough times as the shops, cafes and bars they own.
She said: "We wanted to gather the businesses as we needed to have an honest conversation during a difficult economic time.
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"It's about finding out how we can help people in any way."
Peter Golland from the BIPC agreed it was a challenging time but wanted locally-owned businesses to know help was available.
Ms Bridges said the evening came about after she led a number of sessions on mental health for the BIPC.
Mr Golland said: "For the past six years, BIPC Norfolk has been providing free support for local businesses.
"When we started working with Emily at Malt and Mardle, we thought it was a unique idea to hold a business event in a more informal environment.
"It has been great to see so many local businesses come together, which I feel is especially important considering it is such a tough time for small enterprises."
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Ms Bridges said the meeting even helped her with her own business.
She said: "We're looking at how we can diversify to get through a very worrying time.
"We just have to try different things such as private hire in order to generate revenue.
"We're responsible for our employees and the future of our businesses and that causes a lot of worry."
Rachel Watkins, co-owner of Norwich Cauldron, was among those in attendance and said it was "great" to get tips from fellow bosses.
She said: "January is not a good time for any business but it's actually gone really well for us.
"It's not been stellar but very good, we've weathered the storm and it was nice to be able to pass our experience on to others."
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