High Street Shop Award
This award was won by Yellow Submarine who received a cash prize of £10,000, and the Runner-Up was Soul and Flare who received £5,000.
As a reminder, this award celebrates the independent businesses that are not just surviving, but thriving on our high streets. Those who are keeping our local communities ‘home towns’ not ‘clone towns’ and are showcasing true innovation, uniqueness and bringing ‘less ordinary’ to our grey retail experiences through their creativity and passion. Not only that, but they have become pillars of their community and are acting as a brilliant example of how others might emulate an independent retail space in their own area.
Yellow Submarine
Yellow Submarine believes people with learning disabilities and autism deserve to live life to the full. People visit their cafe because of the quality of the coffee and food, but leave with a different perception of ‘disability’.
Soul and Flare
Based in Nottingham, Soul and Flare is on a mission to reduce throw-away fashion waste through their commitment of clothing repair, reselling or reworking.
Meet the nominees
Each of these independent businesses was selected for being outstanding in this category.
London Terrariums Studio
London Terrariums is passionate about helping people connect to nature in the city. Their shop doubles up, so as well as being a place to buy hand-crafted terrariums, it’s a workshop space to teach the craft of creating miniature ecosystems via DIY kits.
Sourdough Sophia
Sourdough Sophia is a small-batch sourdough bakery and baking school based in North London, specialising in delicious sourdough breads and pastries.
Wickle
Wickle is a mini department store for families who care about what they buy, why they buy it and how it will last. With a focus on ethics and fairness, they have created a space which is playful yet responsible, and innovative yet traditional.
Be Diddy
Be Diddy pairs unique, vintage children’s clothing with a fun and inclusive space. What began as an idea and an Instagram grid has grown into a community of sustainability-focused customers and friends.
Berdoulat
Berdoulat showcases the work of local artisans based within an hour’s drive of its 18th century shop space in Bath. Founders Patrick and Neri are passionate about each and every item they source, resulting in a magical space which also houses a cafe serving bread and cakes made on site from local ingredients.
Born & Bred
Existing to help local designers and makers thrive, Born & Bred create and curate Irish themed gifts and homeware. They dedicate time to designing souvenirs with a story, helping people to take pride in the place they call home.
Flavour Like Fancy
Flavour Like Fancy is a colourful gift shop celebrating the unapologetic wonders of handmade creations. Their space doubles as a community hub that hosts workshops, makers markets, family friendly events and even the local pub quiz, too.
HÔRD
HÔRD handcrafts unique treasures which celebrate the intricacies and dynamics of leather. From their workshop in West Yorkshire, makers Jason and Gemma combine a love for traditional methods with a modern vision — resulting in timeless items, designed to bring people closer.
Niaski
Designed by Nia, Niaski is a feline-focused shop where art obsession meets cat obsession. Cleverly combining cats, art and humour, their products range from greetings cards to pet accessories.
Oklahoma
Oklahoma has been bringing colour from around the world to the streets of Manchester for the last 25 years. Inspired by treasures from founder Nicola’s travels, Oklahoma has grown to become a much-loved hub for eclectic and unusual homeware and gifts.
Other Kids
Other Kids opened in 2017 to provide professional shoe fitting for babies and children. With a strong focus on sustainability and providing a trusted service, they sell a carefully selected range of high quality, stylish shoes that never compromise on comfort.
Papersmiths
Owner Sidonie sources the cult classics and harder-to-find gems of the stationery world to stock in Papersmiths’ bricks-and-mortar stores in Brighton, Chelsea and King’s Cross. Each retail space is run by fellow stationery obsessives and designed as ‘playgrounds’ to inspire creative pursuits.
RED Shoes
RED makes bespoke shoes from organic leathers that are designed to fit the natural shape of your feet. With a focus on design that’s made to last a lifetime, every pair is unique, timeless and repairable for years to come.
ROAM by The Drifting Bear Co
ROAM is a creative gift shop by the sea in Devon. Inside you will find a wide range of personalised gifts, as well as unique products from other amazing independent brands. A tree is planted with every sale over £10, so their personalised prints and gifts are the perfect treasure to mark milestones.
Self Space
With a mission is to positively change the culture around mental health by supporting individuals and companies to reach their full potential, Self Space provide a ‘good conversation’ with a qualified person for those that need them. They are open 7 days a week, with over 65 therapists to choose from.
The Orange Bakery
The Orange Bakery is a father and daughter run business that creates delicious breads and pastries. Founded as a way of coping through feelings anxiety and depression, their bakery not only produces unique treats, but is also used as a free outlet to teach and accomodate other aspiring bakers.