Totally Locally

[KP the nut]

I live in a small town, maybe 5000 people. We are really lucky to still have a thriving high street with independent shops.

One lady saw a national initiative called Totally Locally which encourages people to use their local shops. I used them anyway. I love shopping in our town, people speak and are friendly and the shopkeepers all know your name.

We are the first Totally Locally town in Shropshire. In December we are having our second Fiverfest week where local businesses offer deals for £5. It is amazing how it has brought people of the town together. Volunteers have delivered leaflets to every house in the town. Meetings are well attended and Totally 'spin offs' are everywhere.

Totally Creative has been started by people who work from home doing all kinds of crafts. Once a week they turn the office where I work into a 'pop up shop' to sell their items. Great for Christmas.

Totally Socially makes use of the towns cafes. Everyone is welcome. I went to one this morning and had coffee and cake with 5 lovely ladies.

I have even joined a group which is setting up a weekend festival including reinstating the summer carnival.

With small shops being pushed out by chain stores I am proud of what my community is doing.

I was wondering if anyone else has something similar.

 

[Purplemunchkin]

I've never even heard of anything like that. It sounds fab!

I have a few crafty friends who sell bits online, or at local craft fairs, is there any sort of website I can show them to see if it's something they could look into?

 

[Anarchy]

Ludlow?

 

[DharmaGirl]

That sounds awesome! I wonder if there is something in the US like that. My town could use it! Thanks for sharing, KP!

 

[KP the nut]

Ludlow

Broseley. There is a facebook page.

 

[Changing4Best]

Our town of about 2000 folks spread out over the mountains and many in this valley, has lost most of its local shops, but there is a great coffee shop and a few other shops are still sticking it out. So one block still has some life in it. Otherwise than that, there is the grocery, 2 drugstores, some Dr.'s offices. Oh yes, there is the Laundromat and 2 Mexican restaurants. Oh yeah, MacDonalds and Huddle House. Then there are the Dollar General and Fred's, a small Department Store that is part of a chain of stores. There are 2 hardware stores. One has flowers and vegetable starts in the spring and also seeds. That is about it.

Of course there is a Walmart 12 miles from here that has stolen most of the business from all the empty shops on our Main St.

Thankfully we have a Post Office and Dept. of Motor Vehicles. We do have something like 5 Thrift Shops. There are many farms and there is a dairy and an egg plant (10 story tall silo of chickens).

I wish we had something like your town. Probably 20 years ago we did! There are still signs on the shops that have died, showing what they used to be. There were 2-3 factories here too.

 

[KP the nut]

Big community day for us tomorrow as it is the Christmas lights switch on.

The day kicks off in the afternoon, stalls, craft and food including a bottle tombola. Live music, procession, great food, light switch on and fireworks etc. I made white chocolate and cranberry fudge for the Womens Institute stall. My daughter and her friend are arriving tomorrow for the night so they will help me man ( or woman the stall between 2 - 3.

After the stall we will come home. It gets very busy and I don't do crowds. Also the dogs hate fireworks so we will be looking after them. We have planned a bottle of fizz or 2 and nibbles followed by homemade pizza.