Fed up with the same old ‘clone town’ high street shops? Never fear, there’s a wealth of local independent businesses around the city. Using them puts your cash back into the local economy, and you can often enjoy personal service from members of your own community. From making it yourself, to food, drink and gifts, Clare Diaper takes a look at the best of Southampton's indies this festive season.
Creative Christmas
One way you can keep the costs down and also get involved in local community projects is to make it yourself this Christmas. From recycled resources, creative cards and glitter glasses, there’s lots you can do yourself this festive season.
Southampton Scrapstore
Unit 15 Belgrave Industrial Estate, Swaythling SO17 3EA
At an industrial estate not far from you is a cornucopia of creative materials gathered and sorted by the team at Southampton Scrapstore. The materials are collected from businesses, organisations and individuals in and around Southampton and include: card, paper, fabric, plastics pots, buttons, Christmas decorations, foam, lightshades and much, much more. To take away the materials you become a member and pay an annual subscription, from as little as £17.50 for an individual.
The store is open Mon, Tues, Thursday 10 til 3pm, Wednesday 4 til 8pm and Saturday 3rd December 10.30 til 12.30. They are also holding a Christmas craft fair at the Church of the Ascension on December 7th and are running craft sessions at the store in the run up to Christmas, with papercraft decorations on the 22nd November. Contact them on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 023 80402812 for more information
Songbird Café
23 Manor Farm Road, Bitterne Park Triangle, Southampton SO18 1NN
Our local creative café and extra-ordinary ice cream parlour at Bitterne Park Triangle is running a lino-printing workshop before Christmas, an event so popular it has already sold out. Keep an eye out for other workshops in the future.
You can also buy handcrafted gifts here all locally made in Southampton, with ranges from Rachel Reynolds, Janet Ferguson, Trinkets by Moonlight, Heartword pictures, Caught in Dreamland, Pure /image works and Winds, tides and waves, driftwood sourced from Cornwall but made in Bitterne Park, something special for someone special. Songbird also do food, see entry below. Winter opening hours are Friday and Saturday 10-5pm and Sundays 1-5pm
Crafty Bug Café
82 Bridge Road, Woolston, Southampton, SO19 7QG
A creative community café in Woolston (just off Pear Tree Green) with workshop space for children’s and adults crafts, and regular crafting sessions including ceramics, card making, decopatch, felt sewing, jewellery making, pizza making and much more. There’s also a crochet club and a regular Glitter and do session. There’s food too with a great range of breakfast options as well as paninis, burgers, sandwiches and baguettes, a roast dinner on a Wednesday and some great homemade cakes including gluten free options. Phone 02380 446525 or 07445 341649 or check their website www.thecraftybugcafe.com
Christmas cooking and cheer
You don’t have to go far to find fresh local produce in Southampton and you can even have it delivered to your door! Go on, go local this Christmas.
Veg Shed
Old Chemist’s Garage, Bitterne Park Triangle. Southampton SO18 1NP
For fruit and veg don’t forget our pop up greengrocer The Veg Shed in Bitterne Park Triangle on Saturdays from 9am-2pm. Fresh fruit, veg and other goodies like locally roasted coffee, duck eggs, honey, oils and kindling wood. (You can also get Bitterne Parker T-shirts from the Veg Shed and support this site in doing so – quite possibly the perfect gift for the Bitterne Parker in your life!)
You could also try the Bitterne Box Co, a spin off from the Veg Shed, with a weekly £10 box delivery service throughout Southampton every Friday. All Veg Shed goodies can be added to your box. Information on Christmas boxes coming in early December. Find the Veg Shed or Bitterne Box Co on Facebook for more info or email Robin at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Butcher’s Hook
7 Manor Farm Road, SO18 1NN
A great spot to go for a Christmas tipple or to pick up a carry-out of one of their draught beers, which have a two-day shelf life, plus bottled beer and ciders. Let them know what beers and flavours you like so they can recommend the perfect beer for you.
On the gift front you'll also find framed prints from the Badger Press, a local print studio on sale, with prices ranging from £25-£90. On the 17th December there will also be a bottle shop as part of the Bitterne Park Triangle Christmas Event with gift packs of bottle beers available as well as free beer tasting.
Songbird Café
23 Manor Farm Road, Bitterne Park Triangle, Southampton SO18 1NN
Songbird’s ice cream is sourced from Marshfield Farm, an organic dairy farm near Bath, so all their ice cream is full of creamy goodness. It goes wonderfully with their homemade cakes, waffles, milkshakes and locally roasted coffee. They also have non-dairy ice creams and sorbets too, a Christmas treat for those with dairy intolerance. They also make delicious soups and paninis from scratch and have teddy bear picnic options for children. Winter opening hours are Friday and Saturday 10-5pm and Sundays 1-5pm – always a warm welcome!
October Books
243 Portswood Road, SO17 2NG
Not just a bookshop, October Books also sells a wide range of vegetarian, vegan, dairy-free or gluten free foods and Christmas goodies, including Moo-free advent calendars and Booja Booja chocolate. Low environmental impact toiletries and cleaning products are also available. It is the bookshop that sells toilet roll!
The Bookshop Alehouse
21 Portswood Road, Southampton SO17 2ES
Photo: T Harris, 2016
A pub in an old bookshop – quite remarkable. Stocking ales from local brewers and the finest craft beers, a great spot for a Christmas tipple. Take outs of bottles beers also available. Open 12 midday to 11pm every day. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Bitter Virtue
70 Cambridge Road, SO14 6US
Go and see the Welcome to Bevois Mount mural on your way to picking up your Christmas ale at Bitter Virtue. Based in Portswood, long established Bitter Virtue feature in the mural and stock over 600 brands of ale, stout and porter, including a wide range of local beers and ciders, from £2 to £30 per bottle.
Kemptons of Bitterne and Uptons of Basset
Having lost our Bitterne Park Triangle butchers we need to go a little further afield for a family run butchers.
Kemptons in Bitterne (385 Bitterne Road, SO18 5RR) source only British meat and in addition to traditional beef, pork and lamb also source vension and game when available as well as eggs and honey. They also sell a range of meat pies cooked on the premises www.kemptonsfamilybutchers.co.uk
Uptons of Bassett are a long established butchers in the city. With a focus on local ethically sourced meat the company have won awards for their products, specifically their home smoked bacon. They also sell fresh and smoked fish and award winning pies www.uptonsbutchers.co.uk
J &S Fresh Fish
If you fancy a change from meat at Christmas then why not sample some locally caught fish? Opened this year, John and Sylvia had a dream to establish a company to support local fishermen and supply quality fish and shellfish to the Hampshire public and trade. They offer a wide variety of quality fish and fish products: fresh daily fish, smoked fish, seasonal shellfish, display fish, exotic fish, organic, farmed and prime fish. Retail enquiries please call 02380 201 627 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Rice Up
20 Hanover Buildings, SO14 1JH
Now in its fourth year, Rice Up is a co-operative store that provides a huge range of affordable, healthy, ethical food for all, including vegans, vegetarians, and food allergy and intolerance sufferers. Local, organic, ethical and environmentally-friendly food and products, including grains, fruits, nuts, seeds, rice, pasta, seasonings, meat-free burgers, sausages, pies and mince, dairy-free ice cream, organic sauces and locally baked bread as well as a wonderful deli counter and low environmental impact toiletries.
If you're looking for treats this Christmas, Rice Up Wholefoods will be selling gluten-free mince pies and cakes, all baked on the premises. They also do gift hampers, which are either pre-made, or you can build your own.
The Art House
178 Above Bar Street, Southampton SO14 7DW
Your one and only creatively-inspired, community-run, organic, love-filled, not-for-profit, quirky, slightly wonky, home grown, 100% original, local cafe / gallery / venue / home-from-home in Southampton. Bringing inspiration, art, ethical food and creative joy to our city since 2008.
The Art House not only fulfils the food and drink needs with its award winning, licenced organic cafe, with vegan Christmas roasts, every Sunday in December, you can also pick up a Christmas gift from a range of local handmade crafts and work by local artists, or maybe a new Christmas outfit in their preloved clothes boutique. On top of all this you can also see a huge variety of world class music, performance poetry, fringe theatre and more at the Art House, check their events calendar for more details.
If you're looking for a place that’s different from anywhere you’ve ever been, a place that welcomes the unexpected and unusual, you will feel very at home here. Open Tuesday to Saturday 10am til 10pm and Sunday 11am til 5pm. Contact them via their website at www.thearthousesouthampton.org
Christmas gifts
Tiger Yard
108, East Street, SO14 3HD
Photo: Claudia Friend and Deb Wilkes
OMG - It's Back! Tiger Yard Pop Up shop 'Ten Days in Tiger Yard' will be trading locally made art, jewellery, lampshades, ceramics, glasswork, wirework, textiles, Christmas decorations and cards. With 'Global Seesaw' Fairtrade shop incorporated. Saturday Dec 10th - Monday Dec 19th 10am til 6pm. Check Tiger Yard FB page for more info. Put it in your diary now!
October Books
243 Portswood Road, SO17 2NG
Books galore at Southampton’s only independent bookshop. From the season’s best sellers to books less ordinary as well as a wonderful selection of Christmas and other cards, you’re bound to find a gift for someone here. Open Mon to Saturday 9am til 6pm. Also open Sunday 18th December.
Global Seesaw
www.globalseesaw.co.uk
Global Seesaw is an online shop based here in Southampton in Burgess Road and is a social business which runs on an ethic that seeks to make and see transformation, especially for women exploited by human trafficking and prostitution.
They believe that business can make a real difference and as they function as a social enterprise, all profits are reinvested to bring greater change. They sell clothing, jewellery, homewares, bags and gifts. If you miss them at Tiger Yard (see above) you can always order online.
Portswood Cycles
3 St Denys Road, SO17 2GN
Temped to try a new sport, take up a new hobby or simply want to ditch the car or bus? Cycling is not only good for your health, but whizzing round on two wheels is great fun. Portswood Cycles on St Denys Road offer entry-level bikes to all-singing all-dancing electric machines as well as service and repairs.
Rutti Tutti Retro Boutique & Wooden it be Lovely
34 Victoria Road, Woolston
Want something a little bit different for that Christmas event or just love 50's fashion? Then try Rutti Tutti Boutique, which stocks a large selection of ladies' fashion from size 8 up to 26. Stock includes dresses, underskirts, cardigans and separates and a range of handbags, hair accessories and jewellery. Also stocking Freddies of Pinewood denim and separates, and Geronimo Brand denim and men's shirts. Other labels in stock are: Lindy Bop, Collectif, Punkabilly, Lady Vintage of London and Black Roses. The shop space also houses 'Wooden it be Lovely', a traditional toy and gift shop. Call 023 8043 4443 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
rideride Cycle Workshop
Bitterne Park Triangle, 24 Manor Farm Rd, Southampton SO18 1NP
As well as operating a cycle workshop, training courses and services for businesses, Bitterne Park Triangle's rideride keeps a stock of both new and secondhand machines for adults and children. The shop says its market is everyone from commuters and leisure riders to people with high-end bikes.
Frog bikes – "good quality lightweight bikes for kids" – are apparently popular Christmas gifts.
Pick up a secondhand adult bike from around £85, and new from around £400. Gift vouchers are also available, as are places on bike maintenance courses. Tel: 023 8070 2232
Compiled by Clare Diaper
Clare is chair of Transition Southampton, a member of the team at October Books and treasurer of Southampton Scrapstore
Additioinal material and photography: Rebecca Welton and Guy Phillips
22/11/16 Updated with Art House info.