Why we want you to buy local

Rob Shenton, owner of Riddle & Finns Champagne and Oyster Bar, in Meeting House Lane, tells us why he’s backing the “Be local, Buy local” initiative.

When you run a seafood restaurant in a seaside town, it would be crazy not to take advantage of the abundance of fish and shellfish available from local fishermen. We get fish straight off the boats and that really shows in the flavour of the food we produce and you can see it in the seafood available at our traditional fish counter.

Brighton is a city with its roots in the fishing industry and I believe very strongly in keeping true to this heritage.

Like many Brighton residents, I don’t want to live in a clone town. I love the city’s quirkiness, the individuality of the many small shops and businesses. We should be celebrating this and encouraging diversity to thrive.

Large chains divert profits to distant shareholders. Locally owned businesses like Riddle & Finns circulate money within the local community and that’s good for everyone.

• Riddle & Finns Champagne and Oyster Bar, 12b Meeting House Lane, Brighton, BN1 2HB, Tel. 01273 323008, www.riddleandfinns.co.uk

Michael Bremner, Head Chef at Due South restaurant, on the seafront, explains why he supports local businesses.

Due South has always been about sourcing fresh produce from local independent producers and suppliers. Some 80% our menu comes from within a 35 mile radius of Brighton beach and we’re always going round the county, looking out for sources.

For us, the freshness of locally produced goods makes sense. We can pick up ingredients picked that morning and get them on the lunch menu that day. And that sort of freshness really shows. We want to sell the indigenous food of this county and give our customers a taste of the very best Sussex can offer.

It has economic benefits too with a solid network of small growers and producers creating jobs and boosting the local economy. Small scale producers tend to be more sustainable too, using organic and free range farming and fishing methods that encourage biodiversity and don’t need expensive clean up operations to deal with the consequences of using harmful chemicals.

We’ve been committed to this approach since we opened in 2003 and we’re glad that more and more people are joining us and our customers in insisting that local is best.

Antiques dealer Magi Morgan, who owns Metrodeco on Upper St James’s Street, Kemp Town, explains why small local businesses are the beating heart of Brighton & Hove.

The thing that makes this city so special to me is its eclectic mix of unusual and charismatic shops. I want to be part of that character, which is why I pride myself in running a unique business.

I sell a selection of 20^th century furniture and browsing around the shop of an afternoon can be like stepping into pre-war Britain. I love the art deco period so I love to chat to my customers about the furniture that came out of that movement. Most tell me that Metrodeco is a treasured feature in Upper St James’s Street and that they want to see more small and individual businesses in the area.

The individuality of my business attracts many interesting people and while my lips are sealed on exactly which celebrities frequent the shop, we have had recent visits from an Australian pop princess and a certain ‘young’ chart-topping male singer who has just moved into the area.

But I didn’t intend this to be an advert for my own business – it’s a plea to people reading this to please, please, please support the businesses that shape the character of our city. Everyone has a role to play – and by shopping in Kemp Town, North Laine, Western Road or the many other shopping districts instead of the big out-of-town shopping centres, you can help stop the decline that is eating away at other cities.

www.metro-deco.com 

07878 508719

Mike Stobart of Yummy Stuff, George St, Kemp Town, explains why he is backing the ‘Be Local, Buy Local’ initiative.

I just love food; it’s that simple. I’ve always been fascinated by good, quality produce and I adore cooking. Brighton has a vibrant population with people who are really interested in food. I know what my customers want and we always source interesting, delicious food which is very well priced.

I worked as a project manager in the Construction industry for years and I’d had enough. I wanted to do something that I was passionate about and that’s why we opened Yummy Stuff two and a half years ago.

Nearly everything we have in the shop we source from local Sussex producers – from our meat, vegetables, dairy to our cakes and roasted coffee. This makes complete sense as it’s good for the local economy, it’s easily available, and we get to know the people who produce the goods we sell.

I think people are beginning to realise that good value isn’t always about quantity. For example, our organic free range eggs are cheaper than those in Tesco, Asda, or Sommerfield.

And I can honestly say that our sausage rolls are the best in Brighton. You should try them.

http://www.yummystuff.uk.net/

Dan Curtis of Red Mutha, Trafalgar Street, Brighton, thinks everyone should buy local.

There is nowhere in the world like North Laine for shopping. Fact.

Honestly, where would you go to find hundreds of fantastic, individual shops which sell unique items? People come to Brighton to shop not because there’s a banging Tesco Metro but for that special Laine experience.

Red Mutha is proud to be part of that Brighton experience because we make one-of-a-kind, individual pieces that people keep and treasure for years. We won’t and don’t make throw away clothes which are made on mass – what’s different about that?

We’ve been in this shop on Trafalgar Street for nearly a year although Red Mutha has been in Brighton for eight. Having and running a business here does make you very pro Brighton. You naturally want to support and back people who have made the decision, like yourself, to open up shop in this vibrant city.

I would urge people to buy from our local independent shops because not only are the products fantastic, the people who sell them are passionate and any profits they make go back into the business, their families, and our local economy.

Why not buy your newspaper from a local newsagent instead of at a supermarket?  There’s no difference in price and a simple thing like that will make a difference to a local business. 

http://www.redmutha.com/