Small Business Saturday, on a Tuesday!

Or indeed, any day!

On Saturday I shared a number of small businesses I adore on my Instagram stories.

These ranged from bookshops, beauty and wellbeing products, British made and designed fashion brands and homeware. As this proved so popular, here are some of my list. But first, let’s start with the stats.

Shop Small Saturday aims to support and boost the UK’s 5.7 million small businesses. Small businesses employ 60% of the UK workforce, generating £2.8 trillion in turnover. They are the backbone of communities across the country. New data shows that supporting them this festive season could deliver a £5 billion boost for SMEs, with spending expected to rise 19% on last year.

Of the 325,000 retailers across the UK, 99% are SMEs. When we think about an area to live in, or visit, the retail offer, the cafes, the shops, the vibe, all of this is part of the mix of why we like a place. Retail and independent shops are core to the vibrancy and uniqueness of a place, and the beauty of small retailers is a more bespoke, client-friendly approach. A reminder of the power of retail as a backbone of community. The out of town behemoth hypermarkets, are not the same draw as they were a generation ago, ironically leading to a return to hyperlocal, as a household names fold, or reduce retail numbers, brave independent brands step in. Rather than going empty, these spaces need to be reused. Rachel Walker had the insight to run LLUK - her manufacturing business - from a former shopping mall in Maidenhead. Smart!

I have never underestimated the bravery of being a shop owner. I grew up on a shopping precinct, in the flat above the shop next door to my parents’ first salon, and this kind of insight on how it works, and the margins that turn a profit, never leave you. Just this weekend passing a salon, I turned to my husband and said something along the lines of, “how can that salon make a profit on just 5 chairs?” Meaning, I had done a quick cost-benefit ratio analysis of seats/clients/profit. A walk to dinner with my parents as a child, would invariably mean checking the decor, pricing, and number of seats of salons in the vicinity of the destination restaurant we were heading to eat at. But without that bravery, we have a future of more empty shops, more homogeneity, less place-based uniqueness, and retail magic.

A report from 2024 said that 81% of the UK considers buying Christmas presents from small businesses. Totally Locally, claim that “If Every Adult in The UK spent £5 per week in their local shops and businesses, instead of online or at the big supermarket, it would be worth £13.5 billion.” Shopping small clearly generates a massive impact.

Here are some of my favourite Small Business, please share your own in the comments below, as by supporting them we support thriving vibrant communities. N.B. I live in North London, so there is a heavy tilt in that direction!

What I am missing is the vintage emporiums I used to frequent, as so many have sadly closed. If you know of any, please comment below!

Thanks,

Tamara.

Interiors:

1. Sally Bourne Interiors - stunning windows that never disappoint, currently featuring a natty Alice in Wonderland window of magic.

2. Second Nature London - a mini museum in Muswell Hill, filled with Richard, the owner’s whimsical treasures, like a Victorian explorer’s trove of delights. Also, wonderful window displays, always.

3. Berdoulat - when I worked in Bath, I would always pop in. Great curation, utterly stunning shop, and the best edit across homeware, and more.

Beauty and wellbeing:

1. Faith and Betty - I met Faith at Wilderness Festival when I was hosting talks for Sunday Papers Live and she was hosting natural beauty workshops. I love her face oil. I have been using her oils ever since, and love the way they soak into your skin without feeling greasy.

2. House of Mistry - Dr Mistry is a bit of a North London legend. He offers free consultations on Saturdays and makes brilliant products which my whole family use. His iron tonic is a morning ritual.

3. Jo Tocher - I am really fussy about fragrance - her blends of essential oils across a variety of small batch products are really special.

4. Aja Botanicals - I hosted an event with Tilly Wood this summer to celebrate Chelsea Flower Show and love her delicious candles and the natural ethos of the brand all made in the UK.

Bookshops:

1. The Children’s Bookshop - a shop where interested experts will advise you and the smaller people in your life on good book choices.

2. Books on the Hill - a magical shop in St Albans with a brilliant children’s area, cafe and curation of Daphne du Maurier memorabilia upstairs in their reading room, and the best staff, who clearly all love reading.

3. Persephone Books - bringing forgotten female writers back to a new audience. I loved their Bloomsbury shop, was gutted when they moved to Bath, have forgiven them, just about.

Clothing:

1. Niddle Noddle - amazing children’s clothes (plus toys and books) with a brilliant yellow spiral slide, which keeps the children entertained while you shop, genius.

2. Diverse Clothing - used to be in Islington, now in Tufnell Park. Solid womenswear edit of cool brands for women who like fun and functional clothing.

3. The Dressing Room - they know their customer - lesson 101 in retail. A St Albans retailer who is busy every time I visit and has clothes which match the lives of the women it caters for: school run/party/holiday/work, it covers the bases and some.

4. Walter Denim - latest find - literally a garage in Crouch End open Thursdays to Sundays, selling sustainably sourced denim run by Danny, a textiles sales agent.

British Wool:

As I launched The Great British Wool Revival, it goes without saying I think we need to promote the fantastic brands who use this gorgeous natural fibre!

1. Herd - Designer Ruth uses an entirely British supply chain and even farms her own wool from her Bluefaced Leicester flock.

2. Phoebe English - working with British wool, Phoebe brings together heritage, craft and strong design execution.

3. Lake District Tweed - Maria Benjamin cleverly combines a sense of place, tones and texture at the heart of these stunning throws and tweeds.

4. Graeme Bone - a Modern Artisan Alumnus from The King’s Foundation, showing a talent for kilt making and suiting, using traditional skills for new audiences.

5. Navygrey - I love that they are now stocked in Fortnum’s - an entirely British made, British wool eternal classic aesthetic.

6. Sussex Tweed - a micro mill in Sussex who make sustainable hand woven tweeds.