There’s one date in December you might not be aware of that embodies the spirit of the season without a sleigh.
The 6th of December is “Small Business Saturday”, a dedicated day of supporting the little man (and woman) and an incredible opportunity to discover your own city. The independent scene is flourishing at the moment but we’ve got a few suggestions to make this weekend extra special.
Winter Arts Market
Liverpool’s 6th annual market returns this year in an incredible setting. Over 200 stalls will be propped up at St. Georges Hall and there’ll be art, crafts, prints, designs and more importantly cake on offer. Cuthberts are in charge of the menu and take it from us, they do cake justice. This is an in incredible opportunity to pick up something and support local at the same time. Entry is just a couple of quid and it is on the whole weekend from 10am-5pm. Details are here.
West Derby Farmers Market
This Saturday sees the return of the incredible West Derby Farmers Market where local meets delicious in an incredible tale. This is the last one before Christmas so it is especially festive. They will have local butchers, jewellery makers, bakers and lots more. Oh yes, there is also lots of cake so if that doesn’t convince you, nothing will. The market is on from 9am-2pm so make sure you head down early to grab some goodies. More details here.
Free Parking
The council have made it free to park on Bold Street for this Saturday to make it easier to support small. For Christmas gifts we recommend checking out Utility, Nook & Cranny. News from Nowhere and Resurrection and for places to eat check out East Avenue Bakehouse, Maray, Bold Street Coffee and Nolita Cantina.
Discover New
All independents need us to rally behind them but especially the less established ones. Mowgli, on Bold Street, sells delicious Indian street food in a quite incredible interior and opened very recently. The service is incredible, the taste is better and you can really see the passion throughout. Try the ‘chat bombs’, they’re like nothing you would have ever tried before. Rough Hand Made is a brand new independent bakery that has just opened up on the legendary Penny Lane. The Beatles will be happy to hear that. Rumour has it they make a mean pitta bread and have only been going less than a month so pop in.
Alternative Christmas Fair
As the independent spirit flows out on to the streets this Saturday we hope it carries on to the next day as Heebie Jeebies are hosting their very own alternative Christmas markets with 16 different independent businesses taking part. There will be tattoo studios, vintage stalls and a special Christmas bar with, wait for it, alcoholic hot chocolate! Independent Liverpool cardholders can head down and get 2 for 1 on all drinks at the bar! Just don’t blame us if you end up getting a tattoo as a result of this. More details here.
Make Liverpool Awesome
Ourselves and other guys and girls behind Awesome Liverpool (a monthly £500 giveaway campaign to make Liverpool more awesome) will be handing out 100 £5 notes in pink envelopes on the street this Saturday. The big idea is to create an aquarium of giving where you do something nice for someone less fortunate with the money which will spiral into a chaos of kind gestures. Whether it be a coffee for a homeless person or paying somebody’s bus, let’s put some smiles on people’s faces. More details here.
Eat Brunch
Brunch was once a mysterious pastime for country club members and people who wear Bluetooth ear pieces but Lucha Libre (96 Wood Street) have made it open for everyone. They’ve took traditional English ingredients and sprinkled Mexico all over it. Try the MxMuffin, a soft warm muffin with a poached egg, spicy pulled pork and melted cheese. If you fancy more of a challenge, we recommend the street food tray. A delicious mix of tasty things including chorizo and bacon tacos as well as streaky bacon with cinnamon churros. Check the full menu here.
Granby Christmas Market
The Granby four streets story was recently picked up by The Guardian and is a quite touching and beautiful tale of how a community can revitalise their community and work together to improve their surroundings rather than being desperate to leave. Derelict buildings were shown love, empty buildings were repurposed and amid the post-apocalypse, a fight, oasis and community was born. Read it here. They’re hosting a Christmas market on Saturday on Cairns Street between 10am-3pm and there will be lots of handmade products such as soaps and candles as well as North African inspired clothes and food. More than that, just head down to see how far they’ve come and how amazing the will to never giving up actually looks. They don’t need the Christmas period as a reason to celebrate. More details here.
Liverpool is swanky and has swagger, it has organic and home-grown but it doesn’t need to be sealed and stamped as that leaves no room to evolve. It leaves no room to be influenced and encompass different communities and tastes which it seems to be doing every day. The independent scene in Liverpool at the moment is arguably at its best and as long as we keep supporting these places and more importantly, the people behind them, Small Business Saturday won’t have to be a conscious day in the calendar, it’ll be an intrinsic impulse. It has never been easier to rally behind local.
Small Business Saturday is fantastic and we endorse it to its entirety but try make it every Saturday. Or at least every other Saturday. We know it is not always possible but try make the effort when you can. Remember, shopping local isn’t just for Christmas.