Uttoxeter Online Magazine

Uttoxeter was once a thriving market town, with busy twice weekly markets, a popular cattle market and a wealth of well supported independent stores. Then, in the space of seven years it has become a ghost town, since the arrival of a major out of town supermarket and retail park, the closure of the cattle market and the increase in parking charges, the markets have shrunk and many of the independent stores once so popular have closed.

Unfortunately, the councils and landlords still seem to think that the good times are still here, the rates and rent levels are such a major expense to any small business that they have to sell a huge amount of stock every month just to pay the overheads never mind being able to pay for the stock itself.

When you go into an independent store, you may assume that the people that own the shop are well off and don’t really need your custom, you would be wrong to think this. There are many independent stores in Uttoxeter where the owners have not drawn any wages or salary for months or even years, but being passionate for their store, they struggle on, hoping that things will start to pick up soon.

Sadly, things will not pick up until people who live in and around the town visit and shop in the town. So many people who live in and around Uttoxeter no longer visit the town, they shop in Burton, Derby and Birmingham and complain that there are no shops in Uttoxeter to go to. These people are wrong; Uttoxeter has a great range of independent shops, with friendly and knowledgeable staff and a good range of products that you will not find in any supermarket.

Visit Nanna B’s in the Maltings and in half an hour you could come out with the basic knowledge of how to knit, a couple of balls of wool, a pattern and needles. In a few days you could have a hat or scarf that you have created all with a little help from a knowledgeable and passionate shop keeper.

Visit the deli (Tastes of Staffordshire) next door and you can pick up some cheese made in Leek or Newcastle under Lyme, some Chutney made in Leek or Ellastone and some regionally sourced cheese biscuits. Ask about what goes well together and you will happily be given advice, if you are keen to try fine foods from Staffordshire, the Midlands Region or the UK, this is the place for you.

The Indulgence Coffee Lounge offers a great place to meet friends and share a coffee or a light meal, all in a friendly and attractive environment. Why not spend the morning getting to know your local town again and stop by for a coffee to complete your visit.

You can buy everything for your Sunday lunch from the Maltings Independent Stores, your meat from Edmonston’s Family Butchers, the Vegetables from Lownes and your condiments and pudding from Tastes of Staffordshire.

We all know that the cost of parking in the car parks are high, but this will not change unless people lobby the council through their local MP or respond to the councils yearly report. The independent stores are fighting for survival against the free out of town supermarket and retail car parks. The retailers in the town do not endorse or support the car park charges, they have little say in the matter but they suffer for the charges more than anyone.

Independent stores are the lifeblood of any small town, but it is essential that they are well supported, otherwise they will disappear just like Ye Olde Sweet Shop, Chanterelle and the Priory Book Store. It is no use complaining that a shop has gone when you have never supported it. Remember, if you don’t use it, you will lose it.

So, make an effort to visit our independent shops, you little realise how little you have to spend to make a big difference to the viability of a small store. If you have only £2 or £3 to spend, pop in and buy a couple of bars of chocolate from the deli or a ball of wool from the wool shop or even have a sit down and a coffee in a local café. It may not seem like much, but it makes a huge difference.

An article from our regular contibutor IsisX