Ever since the first green-shoots of economic recovery emerged, the question of returning confidence has been a hot topic.

The Argus launched our That’s Good News campaign to celebrate the newfound feel-good factor. In January Business Matters visited the North Laine to find out if traders were starting to see a sustained recovery.

Three months later we revisited the area for a health-check and heard a similar message of cautious optimism.

Commercial property agent Max Pollock, of Car and Priddle, gave a glowing assessment of the area and said the vacancy rate was well under 1%.

He said: “You could say business is so good that nobody is putting anything on the market.

“There’s a serious lack of supply, hardly any movement in the market at all.

“Taking that on board, now would be a good time to sell. You would hope to achieve top prices.

“The demand in the North Laine in the last 15 years has been phenomenal. It really is a place people don’t want to leave. It’s quirky and different to other high streets.”

Some traders we spoke to were similarly optimistic. Ian Mackenzie, of Immediate clothing, in Sydney Street, said he has seen one of the busiest times in the shop’s 21 years.

He said: “We’ve had a lot of changes down here, it’s been very positive.

“We’ve got some high-end vintage stock and people don’t want to spend £90 on a designer polo shirt but they’ll happily spend £30 on a second-hand version with us.”

The mild weather was a factor for many in the area.

Lydia Davies, of Independent Rag, in Sydney Street, said: “Before everyone was buying loads of coats and now they’re buying Hawaiian shirts.

“The weather really helps people’s attitude. We’re hoping for a really busy summer.”

But not everyone was bursting with optimism.

Nicky Harper, of Pussy home boutique, in Kensington Gardens, said: “At the minute things are going really well but I think after the election we might see another downturn.

“Inflation is low, interest is low, and all our customers are happy paying their mortgage.

“But it would only take a small rise in interest rates and it would be a different story.”

Simon Webster Hair, in Gardner Street, has been complementing its usual trade with magazine photo shoots and fashion shows – but said parking was keeping customers from spending more money in town.

Owner Sophie Webster said: “It’s usually a quiet time for salons, with people saving and wearing hats but we’ve been steadily busy.

“I think we’ve bucked the trend and haven’t had a drop in trade.

“But this is an expensive area and it’s a shame to see shops closing.

“Shoppers need to be funnelled to the area as some tourists don’t even know it’s here.

“Some clients are put off by parking and say they can’t afford to pay the £20.”

Stephen Bamford, boss at Dave’s Comics, agreed the weather and holidays had created a boost – but preferred to keep his cards close to his chest as far as business was concerned.

He said: “It’s a joy to serve the Brighton public. It’s lovely to have the weather back and the Easter holidays.

“Am I confident? You have to be optimistic in this business but I’m not sure about confident. Optimistic is sufficiently ambiguous.”

Meanwhile the only way Soly Daneshmand, of Ju-Ju clothes shop, Sydney Street, could describe trading conditions was as “erratic”.

She said: “Saturday’s aren’t what they used to be. It’s so hit and miss, sometimes Mondays are busier than Saturdays.

“We got lots of compliments but people are still walking out empty handed, it’s baffling.

“Also the business rates are killing us, they are extortionate.”

“I’ve been here 20 years and I absolutely love what I do. In a way I like the unpredictability, it keeps you on your toes. If every day was the same you’d be bored stiff.”

Like others giftshop Sasse and Belle is enjoying the warm weather trade.

Victoria York, sales assistant, said: “January was quiet but its picking up now especially with the holidays. It might be because what we sell is more child-friendly.

“It’s all very weather-dependant. Brighton is always a hotspot for tourists in the summer and the busy weekends keep you afloat.”

And it would seem the only thing not affected by the weather is piercings.

Punktured, at Gardner Street, has enjoyed an early spring surge in trade with sunseekers keen to show off their pierced flesh.

Julie Greenfield, owner, said: “Business is great. We’ve got two new members of staff joining us to cope with the extra demand.

“The sun always brings happy people out. Even during the floods it didn’t really affect us too much. We don’t get too many walk-ins but most people honour their appointments.

“It usually doesn’t get busy until May but this year it’s happened much earlier in March and April.”

Another trader had plenty to cheer about after an impressive 20 years in business.

Emma Hayes, of Emma Plus, Church Street, a plus-sized designer clothes shop, said it was fairly unusual to last so long in the North Laine.

She said: “Some shops have been around forever but others go quite quickly, so we’re one of the lucky ones.

“It’s difficult to do plus-size online because the fit can be a bit different, so we get people coming from all over the country.

“People are getting bigger and bigger and everyone is expected to be fashionable these days.

“The shops that survive around here have a dedicated customer base which is why we’ve done so well.

“People are very loyal because they love what we do and we’re the only one who does it.”