The correct answer is, I think, "the thing about Bristol loving independents really is grossly exaggerated". Yes, there is a lot of indy-love but it's a minority who really make the effort to use Indies more than chains.
We shouldn't be purist about this. When I interviewed a lot of local business owners for an FT article, they all said they used supermarkets, Amazon etc. It's about who you go to first.
At the end of the day, most people are driven by price, convenience and taste (in the preference sense of the word). That means very few will sacrifice any of these to go indy. Sad, but true.
(I would like to go to where the anonymous chef works but they're anonymous! Message me?)
PS: Just noticed that local artists Dave Bain has painted a mural for ... Franco Manca. I can't blame him, but it's a good example of how being generally pro-indy often doesn't mean never supporting the national and multinationals.
There are 100s of different ways of identifying with (or being alienated by) Bristol. That is the joy (and pain) of cities. A vibrant city is home to 1,000s of communities, which is where independent businesses have a part to play, building community identity in the neighbourhoods they serve. The problem is defining what we mean by 'independent' business, and how we may distinguish it from any other privately owned business.
Without some useful comparison, this article doesn't really hold any water. How does the density of indies vs chains compare to similar cities? Gail's being full just tells you there are enough people to fill up a Gail's who don't particularly care about small business. And I've consistently struggled to get a table at Tomo No Ramen without several weeks notice. Look at the lines outside Gigi's. Pizzarova is doing well enough to have 3 locations in Bristol.
The end of the article begins to enter interesting territory - after all, most of us don't know what's going on at payroll or with staff sickness - but ends before telling us anything substantive.
I was born in Southmead but raised in Yate. I moved to Bristol proper in 2014. While growing up in Yate, I, like everyone else around me, considered myself Bristolian (even with all the classist banter saying we weren't and that we came from "Yatay"). We used to share a county with Bristol (Avon) and we used to be BS17 not BS37 (which changed in the late 90s and somehow still feels recent). Bristol's close to Yate, a 20-minute drive away (without traffic), so we call it "going into town". Plus, we share that westcountry accent that is so closely linked to what people think of when they think of genuine Bristol.
All this to say: though I felt Bristolian (and I was), I would only come into town once in a while. This meant that I had limited time and so would head to the trusted brand names, be that shops, cafes or restaurants. It wasn't until I actually lived in the city of Bristol that I had the time to explore its wealth of independents. And I imagine this is the same for a lot of people who are Bristolian but don't happen to live in the city itself.
As a fairly regular visitor to Bristol from another end of the country, this post puts its finger on one of the odd dichotomies that I observe about the place.
Why does an area that seems to put high value upon the small, the local and the independent, elect representatives from political parties that promote big (Labour) and bigger still (Green) government? Surely, I think, at one level the population must realise that this means that the little restaurants etc. that they purport to support will have the life taxed out of them?
My presumption has been that other things are more important to the people of Bristol and that the commitment to localism is akin to skin deep and posturing. Perhaps the author is noticing something similar?
The correct answer is, I think, "the thing about Bristol loving independents really is grossly exaggerated". Yes, there is a lot of indy-love but it's a minority who really make the effort to use Indies more than chains.
We shouldn't be purist about this. When I interviewed a lot of local business owners for an FT article, they all said they used supermarkets, Amazon etc. It's about who you go to first.
At the end of the day, most people are driven by price, convenience and taste (in the preference sense of the word). That means very few will sacrifice any of these to go indy. Sad, but true.
(I would like to go to where the anonymous chef works but they're anonymous! Message me?)
PS: Just noticed that local artists Dave Bain has painted a mural for ... Franco Manca. I can't blame him, but it's a good example of how being generally pro-indy often doesn't mean never supporting the national and multinationals.
There are 100s of different ways of identifying with (or being alienated by) Bristol. That is the joy (and pain) of cities. A vibrant city is home to 1,000s of communities, which is where independent businesses have a part to play, building community identity in the neighbourhoods they serve. The problem is defining what we mean by 'independent' business, and how we may distinguish it from any other privately owned business.
Without some useful comparison, this article doesn't really hold any water. How does the density of indies vs chains compare to similar cities? Gail's being full just tells you there are enough people to fill up a Gail's who don't particularly care about small business. And I've consistently struggled to get a table at Tomo No Ramen without several weeks notice. Look at the lines outside Gigi's. Pizzarova is doing well enough to have 3 locations in Bristol.
The end of the article begins to enter interesting territory - after all, most of us don't know what's going on at payroll or with staff sickness - but ends before telling us anything substantive.
I was born in Southmead but raised in Yate. I moved to Bristol proper in 2014. While growing up in Yate, I, like everyone else around me, considered myself Bristolian (even with all the classist banter saying we weren't and that we came from "Yatay"). We used to share a county with Bristol (Avon) and we used to be BS17 not BS37 (which changed in the late 90s and somehow still feels recent). Bristol's close to Yate, a 20-minute drive away (without traffic), so we call it "going into town". Plus, we share that westcountry accent that is so closely linked to what people think of when they think of genuine Bristol.
All this to say: though I felt Bristolian (and I was), I would only come into town once in a while. This meant that I had limited time and so would head to the trusted brand names, be that shops, cafes or restaurants. It wasn't until I actually lived in the city of Bristol that I had the time to explore its wealth of independents. And I imagine this is the same for a lot of people who are Bristolian but don't happen to live in the city itself.
As a fairly regular visitor to Bristol from another end of the country, this post puts its finger on one of the odd dichotomies that I observe about the place.
Why does an area that seems to put high value upon the small, the local and the independent, elect representatives from political parties that promote big (Labour) and bigger still (Green) government? Surely, I think, at one level the population must realise that this means that the little restaurants etc. that they purport to support will have the life taxed out of them?
My presumption has been that other things are more important to the people of Bristol and that the commitment to localism is akin to skin deep and posturing. Perhaps the author is noticing something similar?
Go on then Tim - let’s hear who you’d recommend instead…