Christmas shopping In The West
Shop West This Christmas
We’ve all marvelled at the much anticipated John Lewis advert starring Buster the Boxer, our cupboards are already stocked with supermarket mince pies and our surrounding towns are being transformed into twinkling wonderlands; Christmas is well on its way.
There’s no time like the present (pardon the pun) to start your Christmas shopping and there’s no place better to do it than in west Cumbria.
Love it or loathe it, the months leading up to the big day itself are always pretty manic, which is probably why most people do purchase the majority of their Christmas shopping online.
Yes, it may be a lot less stressful; what’s more relaxing than being slumped on the sofa working your way through a tub of Miniature Heroes with a snowball in hand?
But, by doing this year in year out, we aren’t helping out our local businesses; we really should be thinking local, and shopping local and what’s better than our local towns. There’s Keswick, Whitehaven, Workington and Cockermouth to name just a few and each is brimming with family run businesses ready and waiting to help you find the perfect Christmas gift.
Independent shops make our west Cumbrian villages and towns special so it’s beneficial for us all to shop local as much as possible and our area is full of them. We know it can be easy to stay on the main track and forget about the treasure troves tucked away down our side streets, but that’s the best part about it; get out there and explore
By using local companies that are sat on your doorstep it is more advantageous for everyone involved; better customer service, better product knowledge, better aftercare, AND there’s no waiting nervously by the door, come Christmas week, for packages you didn’t order in time.
Our local towns and villages are all laden with independent shops and really have got Christmas well and truly wrapped up. There are shops for shoes, clothes, including specialist children’s clothes; arts and crafts, sweets, wine merchants, jewellery, toys, electrical, antiques, haberdashery and stationery shops and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
There are countless places, including our museums from which to buy local produce for Christmas hampers. Then there are hair salons and beauticians; ideal for getting Christmas party ready.
With the areas long-established butchers, fishmongers and greengrocers and so much more there really is little need to go elsewhere for your Christmas lunch. Buying from your local businesses means your money goes to people who live in your area, ultimately supporting your local community. The money is more likely to get reinvested back into the area, so it really is a win win situation.
West Cumbria’s shopkeepers are our own, local Santa’s little helpers, so why not let them help you this Christmas? They’re ready and waiting to deliver service with a smile and buckets full of product knowledge.
Don’t worry if you’re one of those people who hasn’t thought about Christmas yet – let’s be honest most of us haven’t. Just remember, before you start filling your online shopping bag with products from big-named brands, that local family run businesses will appreciate your purchases a lot more.
After all, helping each other out is what Christmas is all about.
Share It:
