The underrated city that’s ‘very English’ with staggering 300 independent shops

Visit most towns and cities in the UK, and you’ll be lucky to find a few quirky independent shops nestled among the likes of McDonald’s, Costa Coffee and TK Maxx. Even in London, smaller, kooky traders are often confined to hidden alleyways or even market stalls, having been drowned out by multi-million-pound retailers on the high street.

But Norwich has always had the reputation of a “maverick city”, so it’s no surprise to find the so-called “capital of East Anglia” does things a little differently. Its higgledy-piggledy, cobbled streets are stuffed full, row upon row, of independent shops – a mind-boggling 300 in total, vastly outnumbering the biggest names on the high street. It’s not as if Norwich doesn’t have all the chains you’d expect. It’s even fortunate enough to have its own John Lewis and the huge multistorey Castle Quarter shopping centre – which, like the rest of the city, scores well below the national average for empty units.

Yet somehow, Norwich has made room for hundreds of independent traders alongside everything else you’d expect in a modern city centre, all within a 15-minute walk.

It’s an impressive experience – a true centre for independent shopping, where eccentric, vibrant, rare and exotic stores pop up everywhere you look.

It’s hardly known nationwide, but it’s difficult to think of another city quite like it. Some might name Brighton or Manchester, but those vastly outnumber Norwich’s 144,000 population.

Then again, it’s hard to think of somewhere that matches the city’s free-minded spirit.

During my trip, I popped into several independents, including womenswear, accessories and lifestyle brand Atwin, in Bridewell Alley.

Within seconds of speaking to manager Sara Kramer, I saw just why independents in Norwich often have the edge over their chain competitors. 

She explained that she and owner Bonnie Doonan work collaboratively with designers to create products that suit the store, rather than just buying items from wholesale suppliers.

“It’s about working directly with our suppliers, having direct relationships with the people we work with, and knowing exactly where everything comes from start to finish,” said Sara.

“It’s not just like a machine, or like Amazon. And I think people in Norfolk really appreciate that.”

Bonnie added: “I think over the past few years, there’s been a real push for people to shop independent locally and support small artisans as well. People really appreciate handmade more than ever.

“Norwich is a really unique and interesting city. There are just lots of creative people in Norwich. And there’s a real community spirit. So much effort goes into creating so many fantastic events in the city as well.”

Atwin’s suppliers include Hilary Hann, who started her Crop Norfolk clothing firm after retiring from the London College of Fashion.

Stefan Gurney, executive director of Norwich Business Improvement District (BID), said the advantage of Norwich is: “We don’t look like a generic high street.”

He added: “It’s quite nice that you feel you can turn a corner and you’re somewhere that feels very different to the last street.

“All the streets are quite small. They’re not big open boulevards. They’re very English. 

“It’s very much a city, but not a big urban sprawl like a Manchester, or a Birmingham. There are lots of different nooks and crannies to walk through. 

“It’s very much a walkable city with lots of things to discover and lots of different retail fields in it.”

It’s a quintessentially English character that Norwich BID and its members have battled to protect.

“When the crash came in 2008, we understood that there was going to be a change in the way that people use cities,” said Stefan.

“We were very keen to think about Norwich in a different way. We started moving towards the experience-led approach, so it wasn’t just out-and-out retail.

“As a collective, the city’s major retailers, cultural players and local authorities all said ‘we need to think about what the city will start to be in the next 10-15 years’.

“That is playing out now that Norwich is very much not being hollowed out because we didn’t just solely continue filling it with retail. Norwich has that good mixture.”

Of the independents, Stefan said they bring a “maverick spirit” and a “sense that they will do something others won’t risk doing”. 

He added: “They’re passionate about what they do. They’re knowledgeable. They know their product, they know the area.

“They know they’ve got their own ecosystem, but their customer service is second to none because they care about what they’re doing. 

“When you talk to them, they’re knowledgeable. They will tell you what they recommend, what is an amazing fit. And they’re not afraid to say, actually, ‘if you can’t find it with me, why don’t you go two doors down?’

“Being part of the Norwich Lanes collective means they support each other.”

As an avid reader, I also visited The Book Hive, opened by owner Henry Layte in 2009.

The London Street store has become more than just a bookshop, hosting events ranging from food demonstrations and even ballet, as well as spawning two of its own publishers.

“The reason there are so many independents, I think, is because the people of Norwich love supporting their own and being part of something that’s community-based,” said Henry.

“Norwich has its own very strong independent spirit.”

The 48-year-old has noticed a huge difference in how supportive Norwich is compared to other cities.

“I’d worked in the theatre for years in London,” he said. 

“You’d have an idea, and then people would say: ‘Great, do it, and then come back to me.’ 

“Whereas in Norwich, people go: ‘How can we be involved? How can we get into being part of it?’”

Jack Weaver, chief operations officer for Norfolk Chambers of Commerce, said Norwich has a “vibrancy that other parts of the region don’t have”.

He added: “It feels quite insulated from a lot of the kind of negativity that you see elsewhere in the economy.

“We do have some empty shops, but predominantly it just feels like a nice place to be.

“It’s got all the hallmarks of a really bustling, metropolitan, bohemian place, but without the scale – in a good way. 

“In Norwich, we have probably a higher proportion of businesses that have been there for decades, that understand their trade, understand the customer fundamentally.”

While in Norwich, I also visited the five-storey department store Jarrolds, one of the city’s biggest independents that is often described as the “Harrods of Norwich”.

Its 255-year survival is a testament to the strength of independent stores in Norwich, even if it has constantly had to adapt to survive.

John Adams, Jarrolds’ managing director for retail, said: “What we’ve been doing over the last five or six years is just trying to reimagine what a department store is.

“One of the challenges you have running a department store is the constant need for refreshing and investing. 

“I think why some businesses in the past have perhaps struggled and failed is because they haven’t kept investing in them.”

Alongside wine bars in its own food hall, a seafood restaurant and an eatery offering woodfired pizza and fresh pasta, Jarrolds has converted old offices into beauty treatment rooms.

The changes helped propel it to the title of best independent department store at the Drapers Independents Awards for the second consecutive year in 2025.

The independents are greatly appreciated by city shoppers, in large part due to the tireless efforts of Jonty Young, marketing manager of the Norwich Lanes Association, to organise events and promote the area.

Jane Lardner, 70, who lives in nearby Thorpe St Andrew, said: “I’ve lived here about 30 years. I wouldn’t live anywhere else.

“We’re not a big city, but we’ve got lots of amenities for it.

“Norwich is a bit out and is not overrun. It doesn’t feel pressurised. We’ve got a wide variety of shops. 

“It’s not going back in time, but it feels a little bit traditional.”

One question I asked many people during my visit was whether Norwich was underrated. Everyone I asked said it was.

“Until people come here, they don’t really know about Norwich,” said Stefan, from Norwich BID. 

“Once they come, they ask: ‘Why did I not know? Why have I not been here before? I didn’t realise what a lovely city it is.’”

It might not necessarily be recognised nationwide, but Norwich certainly has an independent spirit where small businesses thrive. It’s something the rest of the UK would do well to learn from.