This year, December 5th is Small Business Saturday, a day dedicated to the independent businesses that make our High Street a special place to shop and visit. Whether you shop local online in Lockdown or wait until you can pound the pavements once more, shop small to support our local economy this winter.
Banbury boasts an incredible selection of independent stores. From the perfect floral arrangements for the festive season to one-of-a-kind gifts for your loved ones, here is a guide to some of our town’s best kept secrets:
For the indulgence seeker
Looking for the ultimate pampering experience? You can treat yourself or a friend to a stone-heated massage at R3Balance or get the perfect manicure at Modo Bella.
For the vintage and history lover
If you love pieces with history, you may want to attend an auction at Holloways Auction House, Banbury’s longest standing auction house for fine arts and antiques. Or, treat the music lover in your life to some classic vinyl at Strummer Room Records.
For the health conscious
If you are looking for a workout regime or a way of keeping active during the holidays to blast the extra calories, make sure you try some of the boxing classes at Spit’n’Sawdust Gym. They won’t only drop a few pounds but leave you feeling revitalised too.
For the ethical shopper
Wanting to make a difference to our planet? At Nothing But Footprints they stock a full range of zero waste goodies. From refillable foods, to cleaning products, soaps and shampoos, the only thing you need to do is to bring your container and they fill it up for you.
Nothing But Footprints in Banbury Castle Quay
For the young at heart
If you want to impress with gifts with a twist, make sure you visit the Collectors-Assemble for some classic comic books, Sweet Celebrations for the ultimate fancy dress, Banbury Emporium, for retro toys and other collectibles, The Hive, for soft toys and card and role-playing games, and Weird Creatures for a mouth-dropping selection of real reptiles.
For the confirmed sweet-tooth
Love the idea of a feast of delicious chocolate, cakes and sweets? We recommend Sugar Rush and Shelia’s Sweets for pick and mix sweets and Belflair for artisan chocolate.
For the selective foodaholic
No shopping day is completed without a stop or two to relish some tasty food. Pop to Taquero for authentic Mexican street-food dishes, Pizza Calzone Ristorante for indulgent pizza, Caffe Veneto for a selection of fresh salads and Italian style sandwiches and La Foglia, for your favorite Italian dishes.
For the arty type
Whether you are an amateur or professional artist working on your next watercolour canvas, you would love the fabulous art and craft range at The Artery.
For the home enthusiast
Passionate about interiors and chic decor? Infuse your home with the gorgeous scent of fresh flowers from The Secret Garden, buy a special piece of furniture for your favourite room from Doodledash Interiors, add to your art collection with a new painting from Church Lane Gallery, and have the latest magazines on your coffee table from Nilay’s News.
For the devout fashionista
Are you an accessories lover? Kendals is a real treat if you are after a statement piece of jewellery or scarves, while JD Cruz specialises in handmade leather bags.
Discover Banbury
For up-to-date details on businesses and local deals, download the free Banbury town centre app by searching ‘LoyalFree’ on the Appstore or Googleplay.
Be in Banbury this winter
Check out our £500 giveaway and cracking Winter Guide 2020 for more ways to support local and be in Banbury this winter.
