The challenges of the high street are many and running a little gift shop tucked away from the main drag is especially hard.

Diane Tyrer from Chree Brae in Castletown is using her initiative and taking a new approach and becoming a human advert for her business.

Dressed in Manx costume she’s begun greeting visitors with discount vouchers for her shop as they step off coaches when they arrive in town.

While she’s out her husband Colin mans the shop.

Diane chats to visitors about the town’s attractions and other businesses, so her approach promises to help everybody in town.

She began last Thursday and went again on Sunday.

She said it has ’hugely’ affected business.

’Everybody was very happy. Quite a lot of them came to the shop.

’The main thing is they know I’m here, quite often people come back on coach trips.

’My takings increased hugely, by at least a third.’

There’s a billboard outside the shop on Arbory Street, but none permitted in the square. She has tried many approaches in recent years to improve the footfall such as increasing her presence on Facebook and stocking a wider variety of products.

’This has helped but not enough so I’ve come up with a new way forward,’ Diane said.

It’s a helpful and friendly approach that has kept Chree Brae going since it was founded before the 1930s by her great grandmother.

’My family, customers and wholesalers have kept me in business for nearly 20 years,’ she said.

’However, to ensure I’m in business for a least another 10 years I need to attract more tourists up the street to my very unique traditional Manx family business. ’