How one UK shopkeeper creates community through retail

In the picturesque village of Lymm, on the quaint Bridgewater Street, stands a colourful shopfront called Fond. Nestled between a coffee shop and a chippy, Fond adds a dash of whimsy and joy to the neighbourhood with a dazzling curation of gifts, stationery, art and decor.

“Passion led us here”, proclaims a sign on the windows emblazoned in pink, purple and red. This crafters’ wonderland was brought to life by Laura Collier, who has lived in Lymm for more than 10 years and is a passionate advocate for high-quality items made in the UK.

“It’s called Fond because it’s full of stuff that I’m fond of. I’m very good at finding unique things, thoughtful things, things from small businesses,” says Laura. “I want to inspire people. I want them to shop small because they love that product. So it’s my job to find the right things to do that.”

More than a place to shop, Laura wants people to feel good when they walk into Fond. She created the shop mindfully, from the scent of the candles, to the colours of the products, to the boldness of the art, to the cards on the walls.

“I want them to feel joy. I want it to feel calm and cosy and inspiring. A lot of people haven’t seen a shop like this. It’s just a really happy space.”

Finding the right product at the right moment

“I’ve lived in this village for 10 years, and it has an amazing heritage and a wonderful community with many traditions. The people here love supporting their local businesses, but the retail offering is quite limited so residents have to travel elsewhere or shop online for more design-led or creative products.”

With Faire, retailers can discover a diverse and carefully curated catalogue of products, empowering them to find unique items that resonate with their customers. With filters for characteristics like “handmade” or “woman-owned” or “eco-friendly“, retailers can set themselves apart and attract a loyal customer base. 

“On Faire, a key thing for me is using the filters for where the product is made and where the brand is based,” says Laura. “Because I want everything in the shop to be made in the UK, I can apply the filter to ‘made in the UK’ and I can apply a filter that says ‘handmade’. So that already gives me a great product range to choose from. Faire is the link between small brands and small shops, basically.”

This way, retailers are able to stay ahead of trends and discover fresh, emerging brands and, by making it easier for small retailers to access unique products and resources, Faire continues its mission of empowering retailers to make their communities more vibrant and diverse through thoughtfully curated shops that reflect the unique character of their neighbourhoods.

Bringing dreams to life through Open with Faire

Laura Collier’s decades-long dream of opening her own shop became a reality thanks to the grant she won through Open with Faire. Open with Faire helps emerging retailers on the path to opening a brick-and-mortar location. In addition to the opportunity to win the same grant that Laura used to stock her shelves quickly, recipients can receive up to $20,000 worth of financing with 60-day repayment terms and access to resources and tutorials about retail store essentials.

At the time she applied for Open with Faire, the only funding she had was her personal savings – she was still awaiting a bank loan. That meant that, initially, she had to budget carefully and couldn’t stock the full range of products that truly represented her vision for Fond. With Open with Faire, she was able to stock her shelves to her heart’s content. 

“I’d spent hours and hours on Faire and had added so many amazing products to my basket that I wanted to buy but I couldn’t afford to! Open with Faire payment terms meant I could start buying products before I’d received other business funding,” says Laura. “This allowed me to open my shop less than two months after finding the perfect shopfront, making sure I could be open and trading during the peak months of the year.”

Open with Faire made Fond possible for Laura and countless other retailers who made the plunge into opening their own shops. Laura’s just one of more than 15,000 shopkeepers who used Open with Faire to launch. Boulevard by boulevard, Open with Faire has made being a shopkeeper feasible and revitalised the high streets of communities everywhere. 

The news of Laura’s win came just as she was preparing to open Fond last autumn, adding an extra surge of joy and excitement to her launch day.

“Winning the Open with Faire competition has provided me with such a boost, not just financially but also in energy and in confidence for my shop’s launch.  It will help reduce the huge risk of taking on my first retail space, which will increase my chances of building a successful business.”

Revitalising high streets through commerce

With Faire, Fond is adding to the rich fabric of Lymm and sustaining a neighbourhood where people want to shop, explore and live.

Faire has empowered retailers like Laura to not only open their doors but create spaces where customers feel a sense of belonging. 

In the end, Fond is more than just a shop – it’s a testament to what can be achieved when passion meets support. The presence of Fond and other shops like it underlines the importance of small businesses in building stronger, more resilient communities – one shopfront at a time. 

As Laura says, “the best thing about [opening the shop] so far is that in a month I’ve already built relationships with the community and I can feel myself just becoming more and more a part of it.”

Are you ready to open your first retail location? Apply to Open with Faire to see if you’re eligible for up to $20,000 in financing.