Indie Cambridge (support local independent shops)
Indie Cambridge is a membership organisation designed to connect and support independent businesses and shops across the beautiful county of Cambridgeshire in East Anglia. It brings together businesses and customers, by reaching hundreds of local customers via the app.
Membership (at around £45 a month) has many benefits. Your business will be listed on the app (far less than paying for an add) to targeted customers who like supporting indie customers, so of course you can also use this opportunity to offer special deals and new offers. Or even promote your own discount card.
You also appear on the website and may be mentioned in the popular monthly e-newsletter that is sent to 1000s of people. You also get to connect with other indie businesses, for mutual support.
There are also regular get-togethers with others, to network (so you don’t feel like an island, in a sea of chain stores and supermarkets).
You’ll even on membership be introduced to everyone they know, and be featured in the magazine, distributed free (over 5000 copies) in local shops twice yearly.
Indie Cambridge can even arrange an interview (for a fee) with a local journalist to write your unique store, and take a professional photo-shoot to use for your marketing. And if you’re not ready to sign up just yet, you can still sign up, for a free basic listing.
Supporting independent shops in Cambridge (one of the most cloned places in England) helps to reduce the number of chain stores. For every £5 or £10 you spend each week at an independent shop, this brings collectively billions back into the local economy over a year.
This is because local businesses use local suppliers, pay local taxes, use local signwriters, and tend to eat and drink locally too. Plus ‘top profits’ go the retail shop owner, rather than shareholders abroad.
Run an indie shop? Many seeds, flowers, plants (and plantable cards) are toxic to pets, so learn what not to sell to households with pets.
Fabulous finds in Cambridge City!
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- Arjuna Wholefoods is not just a cooperative health shop, but also offers home delivery and catering.
- Cambridge Organic is one of England’s oldest organic box schemes. If you wish to support your local farmers, then shop here for fresh produce. You can select what you get in your box, and pause if you go on holiday.
- Cambridge Sustainable Food is a local campaign to stop food waste. You can donate surplus food from your business to help local hungry people.
- Waterland CSA is a local community-supported-agriculture farm. So instead of buying from supermarkets and seeing farmers sell produce for a pittance, you ‘pay the farmers’ in advance then take your share of the harvest, when the crops come in! Delivery is through Connect Cambridge (by electric bikes or vans).
- Eastern Savings & Loans is Cambridge city’s main credit union. It’s easy to switch from your conventional bank. Find simple current and savings account, with profits being kept in your local community. Your money is then used to give out responsible loans for local businesses.
