• Local businesses by nature tend to make more local purchases, supporting local producers wherever they can. This naturally requires less transportation thus less CO2 emissions. Small and immediate levels of dispatch have a much lower carbon footprint compared to large online retailers who often resort to third party distribution.

• It goes without saying that buying from a local business is supporting them but it goes further than that. Often, independent businesses are more connected to the wellbeing of their staff. They can often pay their staff better, pay their taxes fairly and generally keep a closer relationship with their teams, often merging into a real family-feel organisation. So when you buy locally, not only are you supporting a small business, you're supporting all the people involved with that business too.

• Small businesses often give back to the community in different ways including working with local charities, creating or hosting events, enforcing and nurturing connections. How lovely and nostalgic is it to visit a local butchers shop and talk to someone you see every week? Having that connection can help us feel part of something bigger and that isn't something to be taken for granted, especially in the aftermath of the pandemic.

• Small businesses support livelihoods. They employ around 60% of the UK’s private sector workforce. Supporting local and independent allows these businesses to flourish and ultimately expand, absorbing more local talent into the fold.

• Tailored customer service. From local delivery, to specially designed care packages for loved ones, experiences are often much more tailored and thoughtful when you choose local and independent. 

We are proud to be an independent business; it allows us to maintain a short and transparent supply chain that enables us to easily oversee production methods whilst minimising our carbon footprint.

We choose our working partners with care and maintain a close relationship with our suppliers. The materials we use are all raw or natural, and certified free from chemicals and harmful dyes.

All our deliveries are plastic free and we use recycled materials where possible. 

We spoke to Form SE15, a vibrant clothing and accessories boutique owned by Jo Johnson. We asked Jo a few questions about being an indepedent business retailer.

• What inspired you to create form SE15?

• In some way, everything else in my life kind of led me straight to setting up Form SE15: my training and background is in fashion and the creative industries and after different careers, I ended up running my own homewares label whilst working part time managing a store in Peckham.

• Can you sum up what makes a great independent business?

• We probably all have different ideas on what makes a great indie, but from my perspective, it’s offering your customer a fantastic range of unusual & thoughtful pieces you wouldn’t get in your generic chain store. You can see with every small business, the amount of incredibly hard work each individual pours into it to make what they do that’s a little bit different to set themselves apart from the big guns. The fact we are small means we can keep our eyes on every detail!

• On a personal note, I wouldn’t be able to run the shop without the help of my team members Christopher and Eden and my husband is a graphic designer so he’s worked tirelessly on our brand identity, website and emails. But the buck stops with me and that’s very true of every other small business I know....you don’t get time off really as there’s always something to do! But that’s also a great part of working for yourself, you’re never bored!

• I think also being able to input back into your community in some ways makes a huge difference too. Peckham has a community spirit and independence that I hadn’t found anywhere else, so we’ve tried to have a positive impact on the area and support other local independent businesses, we know how much work it takes!

 

Sometimes you might not be able to shop locally so we've put together a few ways that you can support local businesses without spending a penny:

1. Write a review. If you've had a good experience with a small business, even if you didn't purchase anything, leave them a review! It will go a long way and will mean so much to that small business owner and their team.
2. Tell friends and family. Word travels fast and it's no different if you can sing the praises of someone you just shopped with. Telling people about your experience and recommending a small business will benefit everyone.
3. Follow the business on social media. It can be really tough for a small business to generate a good following and your support will help boost their views and revenue!
4. Sign up to mailing lists. If you don't mind receiving a few emails now and then from the business you visited, sign up to their emailing list! They won't bombard you and you might pick up some great offers in the future.

We hope you have been inspired to 'shop small' in the future when you can. You may never know how much of a difference your purchase has made to someones' business and their employees. Often shopping locally involves slowing down the pace of our lives, which seem to be speeding up so much. But if you can manage to do this, we guarantee you will see the difference in your community and in the relationship you have with the items you buy.