Passionate about shopping: Mary Jane and her nephew Ziggy believe in the importance of independent shops

Setting up a unique directory of independent shops has been a labour of love for Mary Jane Nichols. Luckily, she has had her nephew Ziggy on hand to help

‘It all really began about 15 years ago in America,’ says Mary Jane Nichols. ‘My sister had a doll’s house shop, and this chap used to come in with a pile of books called The Country Shopper. He’d got all the shops to advertise and created it himself, and I thought it would be a lovely thing to do in England.’

Back at home, life, as it has a habit of doing, got in the way, and it was another 12 years before Mary Jane could get her idea off the ground. The advantage of waiting, though, was that her nephew Ziggy Bell was now on hand to help out. And the other advantage was the enormous rise of the internet.

‘I realised I could use the internet rather than having to create a book,’ says Mary Jane. ‘So the web, which has been seen as an enemy of independent shops could be used to their advantage.’

Collecting information

Before she began asking shops to advertise, though, Mary Jane realised she needed to create something that was already being used. And so, she and Ziggy have spent two years collecting information. They started with every shop in the Cambridgeshire area, and then moved further afield, and the directory now covers the south and south west of England, East Anglia, and is moving up into the Midlands. The plan is to cover the whole of the UK.

‘The only criteria for inclusion in the directory is that shops should be independent,’ says Mary. ‘We have some beautiful shops in this country, with lovely architecture, and I love our market towns and their unique character – I want to help keep them alive.’

A listing on The Country Shopper is free, and the aim is to be as comprehensive as possible, which is something Ziggy and Mary hope the public and the shops themselves will help them out with. ‘We want people to let us know when new shops open and others close,’ says Ziggy, who does the day-to-day running of the site. ‘And we’d also like shops to tell us about themselves so we can get them on there.’

All included

The site then also offers the chance to take a ‘premium’ listing. At a cost of just £120 a year, a shop can have a full page of its own on the site, and they can do with it what they wish, says Ziggy. ‘They can have their own images, input what text they want, have a alink to their own website – or if they don’t have a website, this is a great alternative. They can manage their page however they want. And they can also pay an extra sub to be on our ‘shop of the month’ list on the home page.’

Both Mary Jane and Ziggy are adamant that the site is not exclusive in any way – other than being there to support independent traders. ‘And I also want to help people find those lovely obscure shopping areas that you wouldn’t find without help,’ says Mary Jane. ‘Visitors to Cambridge who didn’t know would never find Norfolk Street, say, or even Mill Road.’

Their own experiences in setting up the site mean both Mary Jane and Ziggy are well aware of the difficulties facing small businesses today. ‘We’re self-managed and independent ourselves, so we understand the problems facing independent shops,’ says Ziggy. ‘It’s been quite scary at times!’

‘Lots of people have said it wouldn’t work, but we’re determined to make it,’ says Mary Jane. And with the site already getting hundreds of hits a week, it looks like that determination is paying off.

For more information, visit thecountryshopper.co.uk