NATION OF SHOPKEEPERS
CAMBRIDGE INDEPENDENTS’ WEEK
Indies of Cambridge IN ANTICIPATION OF CAMBRIDGE INDEPENDENTS’ WEEK, WE MET SOME OF THE FABULOUS BUSINESSES ADDING THEIR OWN UNIQUE CHARACTER TO THE HIGH STREET
WORDS ALEX FICE
© ZUZA GRUBECKA
ome to over 200 independent businesses – ranging from retail and food to culture and leisure – Cambridge offers a diverse
WOW FACTOR From ceramics to paintings, Cambridge Contemporary Art has it all
mix of high-street retailers and quirky, unique shops that make it a truly special place to live, work and visit. From 4-10 July, Cambridge will celebrate Independents’ Week, a campaign run by Cambridge BID, which encourages locals to show support for their high street. To mark the occasion, we spoke to some of the indies breathing life into our city centre, finding out what makes Cambridge’s indie scene so special. A CHANGING LANDSCAPE “The high street has changed a lot over the past 22 years,” says Nathalie Staples, owner of Cambridge Contemporary Art on Trinity Street. “There are definitely a lot more cafes compared to when I started here in 2000; there are more art galleries, too. It does feel like it’s always altering, and at the moment we’re seeing a lot of regeneration.”
The good ones tend to specialise in one product or type of cuisine
Max Freeman, managing director at Smokeworks, has also observed the dizzying rate of change in the city centre, as big names come and go in the blink of an eye. “There are more and more places to eat than ever before,” he says. “However, the good ones tend to specialise in one product or type of cuisine, rather than offer a big range.”
Another shift the high street has seen over the past couple of decades is the rise of online shopping. Independents have met this challenge by expanding their offering to keep customers coming through their doors, as managing director at Millers Music, Simon Pollard, explains: “Online retailing has obviously led to great change in the industry, adding the
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