The First Month

Over the past month I have chosen to buy as much as possible from local traders and support local talent instead of the national chains and international brands. I believe as a community we can support each other through supporting local commerce. Our city is unique and full of character and life and one way to maintain that, is to help our own businesses to survive the economic slump. So where possible I have found local alternatives. This has been an odd experience which has been full of pleasant surprises.


Firstly, the cost of shopping local has not always been more expensive than bigger chain shops and in some cases I found the product or service to be much better value. Central Bean Coffee House has similar prices to high street coffee chains and in my opinion has better quality and better service while the instant noodles at 7 Days supermarket are cheaper and better tasting than any SuperNoodle I've ever had!


Secondly, the places I've visited have been far more exciting and interesting than my usual consumer travels. The atmosphere has been much more positive on the whole and real character really comes through, from friendly chats with the shop owners or the sheer bliss of being somewhere fascinating. No28 Bar & Bistro is just the height of cool and Tyneside Cinema has such an intimate and enjoyable atmosphere.


My conclusions so far are that there is a certain amount of exploration that has to be done to find local traders that offer what you are looking for. Google just isn't enough, because our local heroes' internet marketing budgets usually isn't that high. So take a long walk, a bicycle ride, a drive, just spend time around Newcastle and have a good old snoop around. You have to keep open eyes and an open mind, after a little while, you really do see Newcastle in a different light. Trying to help Newcastle this way is so satisfying and continues feeds my love for our fine city.