I visited Alnwick to see how the town's independent businesses have changed

Alnwick, a historic market town in Northumberland
-Credit: (Image: Chronicle Live)


The historic town of Alnwick is jam packed independent businesses and over the last 18 months there have been some new additions, as well as shops that have stood the test of time.

This includes the new Harry Potter themed shop, Bowring Hepple Black. You can have a look around the new shop here.

Visitors and locals are thrilled with the new shop. Karen and Tim Jones who, alongside their son Rob, organise and host guided tours of Alnwick, with the most recent being a Wizard-themed jaunt to both Alnwick Castle and the new store.

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Karen and Tim Jones, who have the business Lundgren Tours in Alnwick
Karen and Tim Jones, who have the business Lundgren Tours in Alnwick -Credit:Chronicle Live

Speaking about their business, Lundgren Tours, Karen said: "I'm happy that this new Harry Potter themed shop has opened, as it should be very good for Alnwick and will bring people in even when the castle is shut. We are bringing 80 international university students who are all Harry Potter enthusiasts on our tour at the weekend."

Tim added: "We will continue to come back here to support the shop as we think that it's a great idea. We hope that it will be here for a long time to come."

Another great spot is Alnwick Vintage and Antique, where I spoke to one of the businesses' 20 dealers Karen Millward. She explained that the dealers all pay for space in the shop, and those with the most space work shifts as well.

Alnwick Vintage and Antique in Alnwick town centre
Alnwick Vintage and Antique in Alnwick town centre -Credit:Chronicle Live

Karen said: "I have worked here for the last 11 years, I'm based in Rothbury and I always enjoyed coming to Alnwick before that. It's definitely a tourist destination which helps us, and we have recently had new owners of Airbnb's coming in to buy furniture.

"It's strange as with the pandemic no two years have been the same, but the shop will continue serving both the people that live here and those who are visiting for as long as possible."

Sarah Armstrong is the co-owner of Northumbria Pets, and took over the business this year after having worked there for five previous years.

Sarah Armstrong, the co-owner of Northumbria Pets in Alnwick town centre
Sarah Armstrong, the co-owner of Northumbria Pets in Alnwick town centre -Credit:Chronicle Live

She said: "The business is ideally located as people are constantly walking their pets in Alnwick and a lot of the other businesses are pet friendly. Keith Nichols was the owner who built the business into what it is today for 32 years, and now we are looking to continue his work.

"It's a good place to be, especially with us just being around 10 minutes away from the Northumberland coast. We have still found that we keep a strong level of customers throughout the year, as local people still come in even when there aren't as many visitors.

"It hasn't felt like a massive difference in terms of my role changing, just getting more to grips with the business side of things. We are hoping to be here for a long time to come and I want to keep serving as many people and their dogs as possible."

Humes clothing store in Alnwick town centre
Humes clothing store in Alnwick town centre -Credit:Chronicle Live

Just along the street is the clothing store Humes, where Archie Hammond has been working for the past year. He originally worked at another location, before his expertise in measuring and fitting were required in Alnwick.

Archie shared his thoughts on the town, saying: "I was brought up in Tynemouth and I enjoy working here, we offer a more traditional style of service, welcoming guests as they come in, which I feel is appreciated. We had already seen that we have a strong tourism trade, and we have been received well by the community.

"Our research showed that there were a lot of people in Northumberland coming out of their way to shop with us, so this move to Alnwick made a lot of sense for both me personally and for the business."

Pam Robinson, the owner of The Rolling Pin Cafe in Alnwick town centre
Pam Robinson, the owner of The Rolling Pin Cafe in Alnwick town centre -Credit:Chronicle Live

My final stop on my tour of Alnwick was The Rolling Pin Cafe, where I was able to have a chat with owner Pam Robinson. The business has been open five years, and Pam had this to say: "It was quite hard to get going to begin with, I have always worked in catering but I decided that I wanted something of my own.

"I have grown up in Alnwick and have lived here all my life, so I have always called it my home. People have changed their habits and they are sitting outside more now, and I hope that we can be here for a long time after getting through the pandemic."