This is the latest in a regular series of Business Q&A features published weekly. 

This week, we spoke to Neil Thomson, who with his wife Natalie Inger runs two retail businesses, Inger & Rae in Harrogate's Westminster Arcade, and Shine, which has shops in Westminster Arcade and on King's Road in Harrogate.

Tell us in fewer than 30 words what your firm does.

Inger & Rae sells exclusively British handmade items, and Shine sells a really good, affordable mix of jewellery and gifts.

What does it require to be successful in business?

Determination, a thick skin, and humour. That's what we work on, anyway!

What drives you to do what you do every day?

We genuinely love what we do. Natalie and I both trained as museum curators and eventually came to curate a collection of products, which is a similar thing, really.

We love discovering new makers, talent and lines, and meeting new customers.

What has been the toughest issue your company has had to deal with over the last 12 months?

The change in shopping habits post-pandemic. There has definitely been a move towards eating and drinking out, but not shopping out. There used to be plenty of people out and about during their lunch-hour, but with more people working from home, we don't see that as much.

Which other local firms do you most admire and why?

Graham Sanderson on King's Road. It's a family business that has been going since 1968, and it's genuinely very inspirational. They sells the best fabrics from the best makers all over the world, and they've been going for more than 50 years, so they must be doing something right.

I also like Rhodes Wood. Like Graham Sanderson, they've never diversified away from what they do.

Who are the most inspiring local leaders?

My wife, Natalie. She's absolutely driven to make our businesses succeed. She's utterly relentless and is constantly tracking down new products and ideas.

What could be done locally to boost business?

They should reduce the number of markets that are held in town. All they're doing is taking business away from businesses in the town centre.

They should also reinstate the tourist information office. We point so many visitors in the right direction, and when they hear there's no tourist information office anymore, they're utterly bemused.

The third thing is car-parking. The Jubilee Car-Park near our shop is always half-empty. Why don't we have free parking on, say, Thursday afternoons? That would help bring people into town again.

Best and worst things about running a business from Harrogate?

The best thing is the quality of our customers. We get to have so many lovely conversations, and it's really enjoyable.

The worst thing is that Harrogate doesn't sell itself enough. There's a real lack of self-belief here.

What are your business plans for the future?

We just want to keep on doing what we're doing. We really love our shops and just want to grow them in reach, and scope, and offering.

We opened Shine on King's Road 18 years ago, Inger & Rae in Westminster Arcade six years ago, and Shine just opposite it two years ago. I wouldn't rule out new shops, but we haven't got anything planned imminently.

What do you like to do in your time off?

We go walking and we go out to eat and drink.

Best place to eat and drink locally?

Caffè Marconi has a really lovely, laid-back atmosphere and has good coffee and nice cakes.

In the evenings, we like Stefano's, the new pizzeria on King's Road. It does fantastic pizzas, has a really laid-back atmosphere and reasonable prices.

If you know someone in business in the Harrogate district and you'd like to suggest them for this feature, drop us a line at contact@thestrayferret.co.uk.