Hope 04
The Hope of Independent Shops || Florence Dixon || Tidy St General Store
Welcome to Episode Four of our series on Hope.
One of the good things that has come from this season has been the heightened awareness of locality - the walks, the buildings, the people and the independent shops. It is just that that we are going to explore today - the Hope of Independent Shops.
And our guest today is Florence Dixon, founder of the Tidy Street General Store in Brighton. Florence’s shop is endlessly enticing. In fact, I don’t think that I have ever left empty-handed. Within this jewel of space, alongside a carefully selected rail of fabulous clothes, you will marble counters shot through with vivid green displaying homewares, sweet treats and a constantly evolving range of discoveries. Tidy Street is curation at its best.
Image Credit: Tidy St General Store
Image Credit: Tidy Street General Store
Image Credit: Tidy Street General Store
How can we be optimistic about independent shops?
We are going to hear about the story of Tidy Street, the joy of shopkeeping, the wonderful community of independent shops in Brighton, how Florence went about putting the space together, the wonderful companies that she works with, how her customer and the world is changing and, finally, her hope for the future of independent shops.
It was such an important, and timely, reminder to keep shopping locally. Not just while we are so restricted in a pandemic but always. And all kinds of shops - butchers, bakers, interiors, hardware shops, vintage, new, established, stylish and practical. There is so much to be gained from lively independent shops. Keep your local ones going.
“I was quite romantic about running a shop at first. But it is a lot of excel spreadsheets and budgets. But I have always wanted to stuck to the ethos of the shop. Once you start to compromise that, you risk diluting the character of the shop.”
Image Credit: Tidy Street General Store