Daily Focus supports Small Business Saturday: Your guide to Staffordshire’s must-visit Christmas retail gems

Small Business Saturday takes place tomorrow (6 December) with people across the UK being encouraged to show their support and shop small.

According to the campaign partner American Express, £634 million was spent in-store and online on this date in the UK last year alone.

Here, Daily Focus presents a guide to some of the brilliant Staffordshire businesses worth a visit while Christmas shopping this festive season.

Gifts galore

Yellow by Keep It Local continues to champion local makers and small business owners, showcasing their creative talent under one roof. Its shop in the Potteries Centre, in Hanley, offers ceramics, art, home fragrance, clothing, gifts and more.

The Artisan Cave, in Leek, has a curated collection of handmade jewellery, luxury toiletries, artisan homeware, distinctive clothing and original art.

Country Kate is an independent gift shop with quality and character on Kinver’s High Street.

Meanwhile, Chase Candles handcrafts all its candles at a workshop on the outskirts of Cannock Chase Forest.

And That Little Bookshop, in Stafford, is a must-visit spot if you’re buying for a bookworm.

Don’t forget your pooches – So Very Dog in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent, has a good range of toys, treats and other treasures and has a photo wall where your four-legged friend can pose for a Christmassy picture.

Take a trip

If you enjoy browsing different shops in one go, here are some hotspots where you can support small independents.

The Plant Pot garden centre, in Lichfield, is home to a whole community of small independent businesses based in small cabins around the site. There’s everything from football memorabilia to woodcraft, vinyl records, crafts, a dressmaker and a cake shop.

Getliffe’s Yard in Leek is a beautifully preserved 19^th century courtyard home to businesses including  clothing shops Own It by Anne Morris and Luxe Boutique.

Southan Antiques, in Dunston, near Stafford, is full of 1940s-themed charm with seven barns of antiques, vintage treasures, retro items and collectibles as well as new and vintage designer clothing.

Love Staffordshire

From Stoke City and Port Vale teabag sculptures to oatcake cufflinks and bottle kiln prints, Scruffy Little Herbert has Potteries-themed gifts for all budgets and ages.

There’s also a gift range celebrating all things Burton upon Trent, courtesy of graphic designer Sarah de Roeck who is selling memorabilia at the Crafty Attic above Helen’s Bake House and Tearoom in Burton, and through this website. The Crafty Attic is also home to other local makers and is being officially opened by Stephanie Thompson, star of Tom Daley’s Channel 4 show The Game of Wool, tomorrow (6 December).

Local illustrator Stacy Hammond has created a bespoke map celebrating the six counties served by Midlands Air Ambulance, including Staffordshire, available on a tea towel or shopping bag.

Don’t forget Moorland Pottery’s range of Stokie ware and oatcake gin too.

Support ceramics

Moorcroft is back in business with a collection of Christmas baubles, a homeware range, a new winter collection and some special Stoke-on-Trent centenary designs.

Meanwhile, Emma Bailey Ceramics is celebrating 35 years in the industry. Her pieces, which include limited edition vases and a Gordon Banks figurine, are described as modernistic shapes and visible brush strokes highlighted by stunning pops of colour.

Spode has its own Christmas shop, Burleigh’s factory shop can be found at Middleport Pottery, there are always offers on at Portmeirion’s factory shop in Stoke and it’s always worth a trip to Emma Bridgewater’s site in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, and/or World of Wedgwood, just outside the city.

Be sweet

Staffordshire has been blessed with several new chocolate shops opening in recent months.

The Sweet Shop of Whitebridge, in Stone, sells craft and homemade chocolate, but also boasts liquorice from across Europe and nostalgic sweets.

Little Bean, in Stafford, has a festive chocolate collection on offer alongside a range of quirky gifts. Show owner Vic Williams some support before the business closes on 20 December.

If you’re in Leek, Lennies, based at the Foxlowe Arts Centre, is known for innovative flavours including buttery toast and oolong tea and also sells a range of gifts.

Or Mishka Truffles, in Stone, continues to shine with its array of chocolates.

For more sweets in the south of the county, Trudie’s Sweet Shop can help you out with stores in Lichfield and Penkridge.

Also, Stafford-based Sunnyside Drinks has added a spiced rum and ginger beer, which uses a specially-developed 100 per cent Caribbean spiced rum, to its selection of craft drinks.

The gift of memories

Experience gifts are a different option for the person who has everything and can be tailored to any tastes.

Stafford’s Cup a Cha has been championing local businesses through a self-funded Shop Small and Save scheme, and this Small Business Saturday it is offering 20 per cent off all of its full priced gift vouchers.

Local hotel and pub group The Lewis Partnership sells gift vouchers for afternoon teas, Sunday lunches, burger or grill nights and overnight stays at its venues. Check out what is on offer here.

For the practical foodie with a sweet tooth, book in a visit to TV chef Paul A Young’s Chocolate at Home studio in Stone for chocolate workshop or masterclass fun.

Pretty Pots offers the chance to combine pottery painting with afternoon tea and has venues in both Stafford and Cannock.

Pottery painting can also be done at Kiln at Number 12, where pottery throwing workshops are also held.

Gift vouchers are also available for distillery tours or the spirit academy at Sixtowns Distillery and Bar at the World of Wedgwood in Barlaston.

Or for something really different, consider a countryside walk with some furry friends courtesy of Knightley Alpaca Trekking.

Don’t forget

Local garden centres, farm shops, markets and charity shops also make great places to pick up pressies.

Midlands Air Ambulance Charity has a Christmas pop-up shop at its Tatenhill airbase in Burton between 10am and 2pm this Sunday (7 December).

Bargains can also be had at Rescue Me pop-up sales run by Staffordshire County Council, where all the money raised goes directly to a local charity or community organisation in the area the sale takes place. More information about locations, dates and times can be found here.

There is free parking in many town centres including Stafford, Stone, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Tamworth, Stoke-on-Trent and the Staffordshire Moorlands. Check with the relevant local authority for exact details regarding days, times and car parks.

Do you run or know another small business that deserves a mention? Give them a shout out in the comments below.