Small Business Saturday is a highly successful day of celebrating small business. Originally an idea originating in the United States, the Labour Shadow Business Secretary, Chukka Umunna, drove the initiative forward in the UK last year.
Small Business Saturday is a highly successful day of celebrating small business. Originally an idea originating in the United States, the Labour Shadow Business Secretary, Chukka Umunna, drove the initiative forward in the UK last year.
After a great day in Old Town last year, the South Swindon Labour team this year explored Swindon Town Centre, a treasure trove of great independent retailers. First, we had lunch in Cafe Luso. The cafe is a small family run business specialising in Portugese food – and what food it is! Between us we sampled some great Portugese cuisine, from cod to stewed pork.
After having our fill we spent some time talking to the staff then headed on to Mike Mcguires family butcher where we all got some meat for our Sunday dinners. The staff were great and even spent some time explaining to one of our activists exactly what 'tripe' is – I won't go into detail here!
Next, we visited Plaza Pets – an independent retailer selling pet food and accessories upstairs in the Brunel. Anne treated her cats to new toys, and our IT co-ordinator Chris bought 'Tigger' some catnip! We also spent some time in Krafty Monkey, a craft shop, before heading to Euclid Street.
Kaspa's Desserts is on the site of the old Job Centre. It's a coffee and dessert restaurant that offers a huge selection of crepes, waffles, ice cream cakes and sundaes. It was packed, which was great to see. We all sampled some great tasting desserts, and chatted to one of the family who own the small chain. We don't think they're going to besmall for very long – originating in London, Kaspas are quickly working their way into towns across the M4 corridor with many more restaurants being planned.
Speaking about the day, Anne said 'Once again we've experienced some of the best of Swindon's small businesses. The pride all the business owners took in providing the best possible service and products was obvious. They were all enthusiastic experts about what they sold and keen for us to enjoy ourselves. Swindon is very fortunate to have such varied and excellent independent businesses and I hope more people will visit them in future.'