Shop Small in Leicester
Sponsored post in association with American Express®
The start of December marks the annual push of Shop Small. I'm continuing to work with American Express to highlight some of my favourites at home in Leicester.
Around this time last year I remember seeing people talk about the importance of ‘shopping small’ and finding retailers that were individual to their own city, ones that I have visited since while on my travels. What I was seeing was Small Business Saturday, an initiative that has now come around again for another year. American Express is the founder and ongoing supporter of Small Business Saturday and now it’s my turn to champion shops in my local area and take you on a whistle-stop tour of small businesses in Leicester. This is hopefully a starting point for a) you coming to Leicester and b) to support local shops in your hometown.
It’s always a good feeling when people take note of Leicester. We’re sometimes forgotten when travelling from North to South, but now, people are recognising Leicester as a city worth visiting. More small businesses are opening up, the community is coming closer together and old areas of the city are beginning to thrive again. Small Business Saturday was the perfect time to show American Express a few of the places I go to for their guide to Leicester.
I’ve included plenty of spots for you to go and visit within the guide (and I’m happy to share more if you message me on the socials), but in this post I’m sharing a highlight reel of my favourites.
Most of my days in Leicester start slow - with a coffee and some life admin. On this occasion, The Exchange played host to where I’d do my morning emails and Instagram scrolling.
On the High Street, you’ll find Wellgosh, somewhere I’m proud to say is based here. The store turns 30 next year, testament to both Wellgosh’s passion for menswear and how much locals and visitors appreciate it. It’s a place where you cannot only add a new addition to a wardrobe, but a place to have a conversation. Going slightly away from the main area of town is New Walk, a cut through that takes you from one side of Leicester to the other. New Walk is a scenic walk which is something I feel is missing in most cities. If you’re not in a rush when walking through Leicester, there’s the New Walk museum halfway along, which is well worth a visit.
The last store I want to mention on my blog post is a perfect example of Leicester expanding. Leicester Antiques Warehouse is somewhere you should go out of your way for. If you go along New Walk or drive down Welford Road and out of the city, you’ll come across this warehouse with plenty of coveted items. Vintage cameras, music records and art deco furniture is just a cross-section of what you’ll come across.
You’ll find my full whistle-stop tour of Leicester over on American Express, as well as learns ways in which you can support small businesses in your area throughout the year. Hopefully you can start to understand what brings people into Leicester’s small stores and why I continue to live here.jbicon