AMERICAN EXPRESS - Shop Small 2021 campaign

Neighbourhood stores were a lifeline during lockdown, offering moments of connection as well as necessities. Jane Common hears how the past year has transformed two shopkeepers’ relationships with their customers

How local businesses are essential to our lives in more ways than one

Box fresh : The Village Green Grocer owner Bee Pradhan setting up for the day

promoted content

Each day of your voyage offers something different to enjoy. Make a splash on AquaDunk, a three-storey vertical drop water slide, and don’t miss Goofy’s Pool – great fun for families – and D Lounge, which offers everything from karaoke to trivia quizzes. Then enjoy classic Disney movies in a state-of-the-art cinema and spend quality time with beloved Disney Characters, from snapping selfies with Captain Mickey to waving to your favourite Disney Princesses and greeting Toy Story friends. Up to 30 Disney Characters will be popping up for surprise appearances throughout the ship, so be on the lookout during your voyage. One morning is dedicated to Marvel entertainment, with the likes of Iron Man, Spider-Man and Black Panther assembled. By night, Freeze the Night Away dancing to your favourite Frozen songs and witness Elsa’s ice magic in a stunning on-deck show. Breakfast, lunch, dinner and 24-hour room service are all included in the package and the Disney Magic has four impressive restaurants, each with a different, lavish theme and interactive storytelling. For example, celebrate the magic of Disney animation at Animator’s Palate, with a unique dinner show featuring colourful Characters. At Rapunzel’s Royal Table, Flynn Rider and Princess Rapunzel may even drop in. Each restaurant offers the perfect setting for families to eat together – with no squabbles over who does the dishes. For some activities on board, guests must register in advance. This includes the critically acclaimed onboard musical Disney Dreams – An Enchanted Classic, the live stage show featuring songs from some all-time Disney classics. If you’ve been missing live performances, this is a unique chance to enjoy a West End-quality production that will delight the whole family.

Let’s go Shop Small with American Express

Shop Small with American Express to support small business owners and make a big difference to your local community. American Express understands that we can all achieve more – in life and in business – if someone has our back. The Shop Small Offer is running from June 5 to June 25, 2021. American Express® Cardmembers can get £5 back on their Card when they spend £15 or more in a single in-store transaction at any participating location. The Offer is valid for use up to five times. Terms apply. To learn more about saving the Offer to your Card and where you can Shop Small with American Express®, search “Shop Small UK”.

T&Cs: The Offer is valid for use up to five times, once per Card and per participating location up to a total of £25 in statement credits. Available from June 5 to June 25, 2021. The Offer is available to Consumer and Business Cardmembers. Enrolment required. Terms and conditions apply. Participating small businesses and full terms and conditions can be found at americanexpress.com/uk/benefits/shop-small/#terms. American Express Services Europe Limited. Registered Office: Belgrave House, 76 Buckingham Palace Road, London SW1W 9AX, United Kingdom. Registered in England and Wales with Company Number 1833139. American Express Services Europe Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

hen you’re shopping in The Village Green Grocers in Charlton, southeast London, Mahayana, the four-year-old daughter of proprietor Bardan Pradhan, may slip a packet of her favourite biscuits into your basket. “She thinks she’s helping customers,” Bardan, known as Bee, laughs. “I took over the shop in March 2017, a month before she was born, and she loves being here. She sits behind the counter with her toy till and chats away.” It’s all part of the village atmosphere that Bee, who came to shopkeeping via an MA in Business, a corporate career in telecoms and a street food stall in Camden, has created in the greengrocers. And never has that been more important to the local community than over the past 14 months. When Covid-19 hit, Bee got busy.

Let’s go shop small

Sign of the times: Bee’s store is part of the American Express Shop Small campaign

“As an essential shop, we continued to trade right through the pandemic,” he says. “I use local farmers and suppliers where possible – artisan bakers, pasta produced in Crystal Palace, fruit, vegetables and eggs from farms in Kent – so our shelves were always well stocked. In the first lockdown, meanwhile, the supermarkets struggled.” Every morning customers queued outside, patiently waiting for the 9am opening. “People came to chat as well,” Bee says. “A few told me that it really helped their mental health. That meant so much.” The Village Green Grocers team also made deliveries throughout the pandemic. “We had a responsibility, especially towards the elderly and isolating who often couldn’t get supermarket delivery slots,” Bee says. “My guys worked tirelessly. Our delivery driver, Lorenzo, rode all over Greenwich and Charlton on his scooter. We took the time to have conversations with people on their doorsteps and they were so grateful.” Bee’s customers expressed that gratitude in return, with five-star reviews on Google.

Counter culture: like many small businesses, Bee’s shop is at the heart of its neighbourhood

“Your store is filled with smiles and laughter,” one wrote last July, while another praised the shop as “a wonderful asset in the community”. And they often bring Bee and the team gifts. “One lady knitted Mahayana a jumper in her favourite colour, pink,” Bee says. “Another customer, who has been a regular since day one, arrived recently with a meal he’d cooked us – New Orleans Shrimp Gumbo, a recipe he’d learnt when he visited the US. And just yesterday a lady gave me a fabric flower she’d bought in this shop when it sold clothes 15 years ago – a little piece of our history.” It’s this belief in community engagement that makes Bee proud to support the American Express Shop Small campaign, celebrating local stores and the role they play in their neighbourhoods.

Growth business: Janet Edwards’ floristry was in demand throughout lockdown

Janet Edwards, who runs a floristry in Brixton, south London, is another of Britain’s high street heroes. Like Bee, she’s a big part of her local neighbourhood, playing several roles over and above arranging blooms – relationship therapist, for one. “I’m there to help – people coming in saying, ‘Oh dear, we’ve had an argument,’’’ Janet says. Every day is a study in human nature for Janet – the customers who shock her the most are, she says, “the husbands and wives who’ve been married for donkey’s years and don’t know their spouse’s favourite colours”. Of course, when it comes to hatches, matches and dispatches, funerals are the toughest for Janet, and she often finds herself acting as a grief counsellor. “I’ve been bereaved and when people cry, I feel what they’re going through,” she says. “‘Let it out,’ I tell them.”

Perfect arrangement: Janet is happy to lend an ear to her customers in joyful moments and tough times alike

But most of all she’s simply a friend to the people of Brixton – like one woman living close by the shop who is a longstanding customer. “She's brilliant – she invited me to her birthday party a couple of years ago,” Janet says. “Bless her, she made sure all the photos were taken next to my bouquet as an advert for the shop.” Janet started floristry as a hobby while working in local government, completing her City and Guilds at evening classes. At dawn on Friday mornings she would be at Covent Garden flower market filling her trolley, which she would then park in the office all day ready for her Saturday stall at Elephant and Castle market. Eleven years ago after being made redundant, she opened her Brixton shop just off the high street with her trusty lieutenant, Cynthia, whom she met at evening classes, by her side. Both women were upset when the shop, deemed non-essential, had to close during the first lockdown in spring 2020. Janet pulled down the shutters and diverted the business phone to her mobile, only for it to ring and ring.

Local heroes: supporting neighbourhood businesses benefits the whole community

“That’s when I realised florists are essential to the community,” says Janet, a member of the British Florist Association. “People needed us for arrangements for their loved ones’ funerals. So I switched to delivery and found a flower supplier for my wreaths, homemade in the conservatory, which a friend with a van then delivered to funeral directors.” During the pandemic American Express supported Janet throughout by providing hand sanitiser and signage when the shop reopened, and helping to get customers back through her doors with the Cardmember offer. Over the past two months, as restrictions ease, Janet’s been busy creating bouquets for reunions between friends and family. “This is a good time; the world’s returning to normal,” she says. “One gentleman was in recently buying a bunch of flowers, so excited to be meeting his girlfriend for the first time in months. I’m expecting a lot of post-pandemic proposals.” Everything’s coming up roses and Janet’s there, flower-powering her community as Brixton – and Britain – bloom again.

Photography: Sebastian Nevols for Bridge Studio

American Express Shop Small

promoted content

Personalised service, product knowledge and a warm welcome when you walk through the door – shopping small brings big rewards for customers and communities, says Katie Teehan

why independent shops are best

Let’s go shop small:

American Express Shop Small

ay a visit to independent wine shop Urban Cellar in Crystal Palace, southeast London, on a Saturday afternoon and you’ll likely find co-founder Ken Bush animatedly chatting to his customers, discussing their previous purchases and planning the next. “You’re having a barbecue? A light red maybe… something summery? Okay!” He’ll dash off to the shelves and be back within seconds carrying two or three options – all of which he’ll describe clearly and passionately, and which the customer is guaranteed to love. I’ve been one of these customers since Urban Cellar opened in 2018. Before this, I’d sometimes found wine shops intimidating. But Parisian Ken – who has years of experience in the industry – knows the power of small businesses is their ability to engage with each customer on a human level. “You take the time to talk, build a relationship with people,” he says. “I try to be very approachable. I don’t use crazy words, I keep the same vocabulary as the customers. It’s about the relationship.”

And never have relationships been more important to us all than in the past year of isolation. When lockdown hit and our social lives were suddenly limited to our immediate bubbles and Zoom calls, shopping local was one of the few sanctioned chances to interact with other people. For me, visits to Urban Cellar and the other brilliant small businesses I discovered within a ten-minute walk from my door became essential journeys in more ways than one. The friendly welcomes and real-life conversations with people gloriously not in my bubble offered moments of genuine connection I would have thought impossible in a pandemic. Turns out these people really know their stuff – and my name now. Whether it was popping to the market for fruit and veg, the hardware shop to tool up for the latest lockdown DIY project or to the bakery for a sweet treat – each became high points in otherwise Groundhog days. This warmth and welcome of small, independent shops can’t be beaten. It’s why, as soon as lockdown restrictions eased and shops were allowed to reopen, I was straight back in to browse the aisles of The Bookseller Crow – a treasure trove for readers. Thanks to its monthly book club picks I’ve discovered writers I’d never have otherwise known about, and look forward to the day when their live store events can resume. I’ve also become evangelical about the wonders a few alterations can do for your wardrobe, after trying the quick and expert tailoring service provided at Top Quality Dry Cleaners. .

I’ve gained a lot from a year of shopping local, but Ken believes it’s a two-way street. As the seller, he provides his knowledge and the products he thinks customers will love – “something a bit different, without being too quirky” – but we as regulars have a role in giving back too. “When you first open, you don’t know what people are going to want,” he says. “As a regular, you gave me the energy to keep going. You were interested in the wine, for me that was a big thing. You gave me a sense of reassurance that I knew what I was doing.” As we emerge from lockdown, I feel enormous gratitude towards him, and towards all of the independent merchants who put so much heart and soul into what they do. Their hard work and community spirit make our towns and cities better places to live in. So I’ll happily keep my side of the two-way bargain and bang the drum for shopping small. Because once you’ve discovered the personalities, products and individual service independent shops have to offer, you won’t ever want to go back.

Photography: Sebastian Nevols for Bridge Studio

Let’s get behind independent traders across the country

Shop Small with American Express to support small business owners and make a big difference to your local community. American Express understands that we can all achieve more – in life and in business – if someone has our back. The Shop Small Offer is running from June 5 to June 25, 2021. American Express® Cardmembers can get £5 back on their Card when they spend £15 or more in a single in-store transaction at any participating location. Terms apply. To learn more about saving the Offer to your Card and where you can Shop Small with American Express®, search “Shop Small UK”.

promoted content

The invaluable relationship between customers and their local merchants is not at all lost on Jane Higgin, proprietor of Woofs a Daisy – a small family-run pet store in Kingston, based on good old-fashioned values of helpful customer service. “We class a lot of customers as friends,” she explains. “And we’ve made what we think we will be friends for life.” Thankfully, like Janet and Bee’s stores, Woofs a Daisy was able to open during lockdown and Jane was delighted “how happy people were that we were still open”. Watch to discover how vital Woofs a Daisy was to Kingston’s pet owners and their fluffy friends.

Part of the family