We Mean Business: ‘So many good businesses are found too late to survive in Northampton’
The founder of a venture at the heart of Northampton town centre has shared the poignant message that “so many good businesses are found too late to survive” in this town.
Launched in February, the Chronicle & Echo’s latest campaign hopes to help curb future business closures after a bleak start to 2026 across the town.
The twice-weekly stories spotlight what Northampton stands to lose if your favourite businesses were to close down, highlight the biggest challenges they currently face, and encourage greater support from the powers that be and the community before it is too late.
The next to share her insight is Megan Lord, who pivoted from offering an in-person wedding directory to helping couples plan their big day and, separately, those launching or working on podcasts.
The Wedding Rooms, located on Market Square above Cafe Track, hoped to become the go-to place for brides and grooms-to-be to find out about local suppliers and plan their wedding in a fun and relaxed environment.
Now, the business has evolved as the main aspect that was being utilised was couples seeking support with planning their weddings – and the shop element did not receive the footfall Megan envisioned.
The founder now offers a downloadable support package for couples to track and budget their wedding, design invitations and signs, and it is packed with industry tips to make the process as smooth as possible. She also invites brides and grooms to pay her a visit in-person.
The upstairs room of her space has also been turned into a podcast studio that can be hired by anyone, and this is called The Podcast Rooms.
Let’s take a look at what Megan had to say…
How would you summarise your experience of running an independent business in Northampton at the moment?
“It’s difficult,” said Megan. “Business is great when I get business. A lot of time is spent on trying to get people to find you and know you’re there. When I find clients, the response is fantastic.
“I think a lot of work comes from independents collaborating with each other. Northampton is full of so many good independents. Once people know about them, they use them, but so many good businesses are found too late to survive.
“Being an independent business, we have to pivot and adapt a lot. The top floor has been turned into a podcast studio called The Podcast Rooms.”
Megan would love to see more going on in Northampton to connect businesses, as well as greater information and awareness about what is going on across the town.
What are the biggest challenges you currently face as a business owner, and what impact do these have on the daily running of your venture?
“Getting enough work coming in to cover the overheads,” Megan continued. “Sometimes you feel you’re working just to pay the bills. The biggest challenge is finding and getting in front of new customers, and for people to understand exactly what I can do for them.
“I try to give planning support to people who don’t have the budget for a wedding planner, so they start their journeys in the right direction and have the tools to plan the wedding themselves without hours of stress and time searching the internet. They have the safety net of being able to reach out to me and having that connection.”
What more do you believe could be done by the local authority and national government to minimise your current challenges and ensure your survival throughout 2026?
Megan said: “There’s a lot of great stuff that goes on and free things for people, but they’re then not going to spend money in the businesses surrounding them if everything else is free.
“If they could use the independents more – the podcast studio, photographers and food makers. They should run their events through the people they’re trying to support so they’re part of it. We’d then be paid and promoted in the crossfire.
“I’d love for the authorities to put some money in the pockets of the independents around them. Rather than promoting us, utilise us. There are so many skilled independents out there.”
What small actions can our readers and the Northampton community take to support your business in 2026?
“Share our work, spend time actually going in and using these independents,” said Megan. “Get curious about the businesses around you. There’s so much opportunity that’s getting missed.
“Even if you aren’t getting married or don’t want to start a podcast, you might know someone who does so pass the information on and share it with your friends. It might not be right for you but it might be right for them.
“For any other independents reading this, let’s reach out to each other. There’s cross-promotion and a lot of big businesses in Northampton that could give chances to independents rather than outsourcing.”