A Bristol Christmas is here! ‘Shop Bristol’ is a new City Centre retail shop in Cabot Circus where you can find locally-made, unique gifts for the whole family.

Bristol-themed gifts, made by Bristol hands, for Bristol people who want to support small businesses this festive season.

From the 1st of November 2024, next door to the Apple store in Quakers Friars, you’ll find a new pop-up retail space and Bristol Tourist Information Centre. This new shopping experience is brought to you by the team at PRIOR, Visit Bristol and Cabot Circus.

Inside, you will find the work of over 35 local Bristol artists and hundreds of products that represent Bristol. There will be a workshop area for festive craft sessions (view the timetable here), and a Tourist Information section run by Visit Bristol for all your ‘What’s On In Bristol’ needs. Directly outside will be the immersive A Cracking Christmas Experience from Aardman, where you will solve clues to help Wallace get the Christmas-O-Matic running in the nick of time! For a pitstop, there is a café in both PRIOR and at the new Aardman experience.

You may recognise the name and logo; this new shop is an extension of the Shop Bristol Independents campaign, launched in 2020 during lockdown. Spearheaded by Beck Prior, founder of the award-winning homewares and lifestyle gift store Prior Shop, Shop Bristol Independents is Bristol’s directory of independent bricks-and-mortar gift shops, Christmas markets, and independent coffee shops. After an extremely challenging four years, Beck from Prior Shop believes shopping local has never been more vital:

‘It’s been so tough for retail over the last few years. It’s so sad to see many small businesses closing or on the brink of shutting down, and we’re all exhausted from adapting and pivoting through Brexit, a pandemic, and the cost of living crisis. I think it’s incredibly important to stick together to make sure we collectively encourage customers to shop local and save our high streets.’

Beck also says that members of the public are incredibly passionate about supporting small businesses, especially in the current financial situation:

"We are finding that customers really want to shop with businesses that they feel connected to; they want to buy unique, one-of-a-kind, consciously-made gifts and want to support their neighbourhood shopkeepers, artists, and small businesses. This shop and campaign are just to signpost and guide people towards the wonderful Bristol independents—because what could be better than gifting something beautiful, unique, and supportive of the local economy?”

Shop Bristol Independents is more than just a collection of local artists (and a directory of local shops): these small businesses provide variety, colour, and an alternative to mega-corporations on our high streets. For each £1 spent in an independent shop, 63p stays within the local economy, meaning you are directly reinvesting into your community by shopping with independent retailers. For those of you who enjoy the festive cheer of the City Centre—the Broadmead Christmas Market, Christmas lights, and eateries - there are a number of independents nestled in the main shopping centres of Cabot Circus. Shopping small and independent has never been easier!

If you haven’t heard of PRIOR, they are an award-winning, Bristol-based independent retail shop and arts centre. Their main vision is to bring handmade products of the highest quality to mainstream retail. What’s more, they are not just your average shop; they are a campaign for social good and retail transparency, with protecting people and the environment at their core. They run a full programme of craft and design workshops (for all levels), host exhibitions showcasing artwork from established artists to students, and are a beacon of support for many small businesses. All profit is donated to local charities and supports a free programme of workshops for vulnerable adults. Their goal is to play a part in revolutionising the ‘shopping experience,’ making it kind, considerate, and personal.

Good retail starts at the roots.

The future of modern retail is radically local, community-driven, and genuinely innovative. And Prior Shop is all three.