A toyshop which has been on a high street for 32 years says it has suffered the worst start to a year ever.

Danny Slingsby, whose dad Mark owns Our Little Cherubs in Rochester High Street, formerly known as Pastures New, thinks the whole high street is affected by a decline in footfall.

The 38-year-old said: “A lot of the shops in the high street are struggling, the bad times are here and it looks like they’re here to stay unless something changes. We need help.

“There’s a few shops that are packing up, there’s a few shops that are empty, the banks are gone. There’s not enough shops here to attract people.

“Rochester has the great potential to be one of the main attractions in Kent.”

There has been recent success for the high street, with Chuck and Blade Burgers opening at the former Natwest bank in April.

Boutique pet outlet The Hound Hut has also opened on the high street this year, and last month, new record shop Analogue Music opened too.

Fruit and veg shop Austen’s of Rochester moved to a bigger premises at the site of the former bric-a-brac and antique store Carter’s.

However recent months have seen a struggle for some businesses, including Our Little Cherub.

The children’s toy and furniture store has had many loyal customers since it opened in 1992, with its sustainable wooden toys hand-painted by the shop’s four resident artists who are employed locally.

Now, the business is trying to bring back customers by giving art lessons for children, and is holding an open day this Saturday.

Danny said last year was the first time the business has really seen a decline in customers.

The company’s books are open from January to September, by which point its bookings are usually filled through Christmas.

Danny said: “Last year, it took up until the middle of November for that to be filled. Even during the pandemic our phones were ringing and we were getting emails. We were busier then than we are now.

“It’s really tough at the moment. Our footfall is declining and declining and declining, if it carries on we won’t be here anymore, and that is really sad.”

Statistics from the BBC shared data unit found there was a 138% increase in business liquidations between 2019 and 2022 in Medway, far above the national total of 59%.

In 2019, Medway has 29 businesses go bust, compared to 56, 82, and 69 in the following three years.

Danny said: “Once the high street is gone, it’s gone. Where will we go from there? You’re going to have children just not knowing the community.

“When I was a child I remember you’d walk through the high street and say hi to the greengrocers and butchers, we’d all know each other and have that community feel. You just don’t really have that anymore.”

Danny said while people may consider the rise in online sites such as Amazon and Etsy as one reason for the decrease in customers at independent stores, this is not the only problem.

He continued: “Big shopping centres like Bluewater are always packed. People are still going out shopping, they’re just not coming to the high street anymore so our shops are disappearing.

“At big shopping centres you have everything you need under one roof, it’s so convenient.

“A big part of our business is people coming in, meeting the people who own our store, the people who make the toys, seeing the toys in person to understand why they’re special.

“Without independent high street stores you won’t have the beauty of walking into someone’s shop that they own, and the business they’re passionate about, seeing items you can’t find anywhere else.”

Danny says Our Little Cherub is the only company in the UK that has in-house artists, with its four artists designing and decorating toys to be custom made for each child.

Owner Mark Slingsby, 62, is a carpenter, ensuring the toys are made from quality wood, and every toy has educational value.

“We’ve had people come in before, whose grandparents had bought them toys from us when they were children, and they’re here to buy toys for their own children.

“We want to make good quality, long lasting toys that will create memories. Childhood is supposed to be full of happy memories,” Danny said.

He recalled a loyal customer of more than a decade visiting the store in February, adding: “She came in with her daughter, she was nearly in tears explaining that they were having a mother-daughter day together.

“They had lunch but after coming out they realised there were only a few independent shops left, and the day wasn’t what they had planned.”

This was when Danny and his dad knew they had to take action against the decline in people using the high street.

The business has done its best to adapt to the issue, introducing art lessons for children, and planning an upcoming open day.

Danny said: “The art classes are well-received, the children can learn and achieve a lot in that hour and a half.

“They get to take home the canvas which they can frame and put on the wall, and it’s something they can share in their home and keep the memory of for years to come.”

For more information, click here to visit the website or call the store on 01634 847936.

The open day on Saturday, June 17, will begin at 10.45am and feature art lessons from the shop’s in-store artists for children, a free gift for parents, free face painting, and a grand prize draw worth more than £200.