23/07/2025
👏 Couldn't have worded it better myself! 👌
How much is £10 worth? It's actually worth more in a small independent business than a big shop... I'll explain - & pls add your comments below. We don't have the biggest selection of shops in rural North Yorkshire, but you do have a sense that there's real heart in every business.
There's a big difference between shopping in independent businesses here and in large shops in bigger towns. When you walk into a shop, gallery, cafe, pub or any other small business here, you're likely to be greeted by the owner, a member of their family or someone who lives locally and has worked there for a while. There's a sense of welcome and connection. It doesn't take long before they remember you and what you like. There's banter in the butchers, the wine shop owner who always remembers your favourite wine even when you don't, the gallery owner who can second-guess not only your preferences but those of the friends you've bought for in the past (thank you Josie at MMasham Gallery).
Shopping can take a bit longer here, as you go from shop to shop in search of each of their specialities. But that's a good thing. Slowing down can do us all good, and the conversations along the way are uplifting and satisfying. You're not just spending money in a shop - you're investing in a sense of community. It might be easy for me to drive to the nearest supermarket but they won't remember me next week, nor will they gather up produce and take it out to the person on a mobility scooter outside, checking that they're well. Shops here perform a service beyond their basic sales.
Research found that when you shop locally, for every £10 you spend, about £50 is generated in the local economy through the multiplier effect. You spend £10 in the grocers, and then they go and buy a paper from the newsagents, who pays a local window-cleaner for their services, who can then afford dance lessons for their daughter in the village hall, and so it goes on.
Let's give North Yorkshire's lovely independent businesses a boost - which are your favourite shops, pubs, cafes, places to stay or visit?
Photo: a lovely money tree!
