The “shop local” signs that we have seen appearing in our towns, reminded us of a talk we once had with a local resident who, after going to every corner looking for Christmas gifts for friends and family, returned empty handed to Ottery and ended up doing all the festive shopping in town. With a big smile on her face she said to us:

“Ottery will definitely be my favourite Christmas shopping town from now on. Where else can you find a good quality set of baking dishes in a DIY store; or a beautiful scarf in a florist; a handmade necklace in a tearoom; a roller coaster book for your grandson at the bookshop and a bike-themed decor at a furniture store?”

She later confessed to us that since then she had changed the way she did her Christmas shopping. Instead of going to the shop asking if the shop had a specific item for a specific friend, she would spend time browsing around the shop happily finding that unique and unusual gift that would look at her saying “Mary –or John- will love having this!”

If we seriously think about the so-called buying and selling phenomenon, this lady provided us an insight that we had overlooked. As much as advertising is a great help when it comes to selling your product, in the specific case of our local businesses trying to offer us the largest number of products to satisfy the demand of our residents, it is almost impossible for them to inform the public of everything there is available in each of our shops, so the only way to benefit from that “Aladdin’s cave” that this resident mentioned, is by spending time in our local shops.

Sometimes we wonder if the lady in question has somehow brought the old “thank you but I am just browsing” lost in the hustle and bustle of modern life back into her festive routine and made her Christmas shopping a real treat and relaxed experience while supporting the local economy. Undoubtedly buying local saves you time and money, is less stressful, more personal, it gives you the opportunity to experience the friendliness of our shop keepers and more importantly, you are contributing to the survival of a healthy main street from which we residents benefit in many ways.

What we personally like about shopping in Ottery is that everything is within walking distance and as very often happens at our “young age” our feet suddenly start to ache, there are plenty of places where you can sit down, have a delicious cup of coffee or tea and cake, recharge batteries and move on. For those outside Ottery our Cultural Triangle offers you the opportunity to see our Parish Church, Queen Victoria Monument, our new Library, our Museum and our recently unveiled life size statue of our most famous resident, Samuel Taylor Coleridge and all of them within a couple of minutes from each other.

Ottery’s November and December calendar is filled with many opportunities to do your Christmas shopping and get into the festive season spirit. Christmas Lights Switch On and Late Night Shopping and market on the 25th November when Ottery town comes into its own, along with the Christmas Tree Festival at the Parish Church with all day refreshments, and on the 16th of December with the support of Ottery Silver Band hundreds of us will be singing carols around the Christmas tree. Many more events have been programmed to make of this year’s holiday season a very special one. You will find them advertised on our local Ottery Gazette.

Let’s go “browsing” in the town of the flaming barrels, support our local independent businesses and you will not be disappointed. For more information on shops, businesses, eateries in Ottery visit our website: https://sites.google.com/view/osm-friends-of-phyllis-baxter/home?authuser=0