Cultural trends don’t start at big companies – they start with independents.
Creatives. Makers. People with nothing but passion and a laptop.

If you care about culture, if you care about originality, support the people creating it.

Recently, a large company you all will know (but I shall not name) copied one of our products - I’m talking an exact copy.
When we contacted them, they took it down and removed the stock from stores, which feels like such a waste and utterly avoidable.

It was a very real reminder of something I’ve believed for years:

Buy less. Buy better. And “better” is almost always found in small, independent shops.

The ones run by people who pour their energy into every detail.
The people who keep their lights on through sheer effort, stubbornness, and love for what they do.
The people who don’t have a legal team or a boardroom — just ideas they care enough about to bring into the world.

Over the next few weeks, as gifting ramps up and the pressure to “get it all sorted” grows, I’d love to gently encourage you to shift even a small part of your spend to independents.

Because if you like being able to pop into a local café or bakery, browse a local bookshop, or lose yourself in a tiny indie shop with personality…
the only way those places survive is if we show up for them.

You don’t have to overhaul your shopping list.
You don’t have to be perfect.
Just choose small when you can.

It genuinely makes a difference — not just to businesses like ours, but to the culture and character of the places we all call home.

Some stats for you too (I know, thrilling — but they’re pretty powerful!)

• Every £10 spent with a small business recirculates £25 into the local economy. With large retailers, that drops to less than £8.

• Innovation overwhelmingly comes from small companies; over 50% of new creative products in the UK originate from businesses with fewer than 10 employees.

• Studies show that when independents disappear from a high street, footfall drops by up to 25% across the whole area, even for big stores.

• Together, small businesses employ 16.9 million people, which is 60% of the UK workforce.

• An estimated 1 in 4 independent designers have had their work copied by a major retailer at least once.

• Areas with more independents see lower vandalism and anti-social behaviour, because people take pride in them.

• A shift of 10% of Christmas gifting to independents generates thousands of local jobs and millions in community revenue.

• Small businesses have lower average carbon footprints per product, with emissions up to 36% lower thanks to small-batch production, local suppliers, and reduced waste.

Small Business Saturday is December 6th, 2025, in the UK.