Support Broadland and South Norfolk this Small Business Saturday

To all our fantastic small businesses in every field, we’d like to say a huge thank you for all your hard work in providing us with quality products and services.

Cllr Caroline Karimi-Ghovanlou, Broadland District Council’s Chairwoman, and Cllr Martin Booth, Broadland's Portfolio Holder for Economic Development, recently visited Broadland businesses, while Cllr James Easter, South Norfolk Council's Chairman and Cllr Lisa Overton-Neal, South Norfolk Council’s Portfolio Holder for Stronger, Greener Economy, visited South Norfolk businesses. The Councillors wanted to show appreciation for their hard work and hear first-hand about the services and products they offer. 

They found that the people behind these businesses:

• have a passion for what they offer
• love to look after their customers
• focus on both quality and VFM
• are always innovating and coming up with new ideas their customers love 

Read on to learn about the districts’ gems that they explored. 

South Norfolk

Glamorous Gowns, Wymondham 
Dreams do come true if you’re hunting for that special dress you won’t see on anyone else! Laura has just opened Glamorous Gowns in Wymondham and word is already getting around. Glorious dresses for weddings, proms and special celebrations, with affordable price tags hanging on the dresses, so you don’t have to ask. Different styles for different shapes, pre-loved and new, and if you have to order in, it’s quick. Prom princesses can bring a friend, and brides can bring three guests. Cllr Lisa Overton-Neal popped in to celebrate Small Business Saturday, and it soon became clear anyone can expect a warm welcome and zero pressure from lovely Laura.

Spoon Cake, Loddon
Spoon Cake in Loddon is a cute-as-a-button café with irresistible, all homemade cakes and savouries. Cllr Lisa Overton-Neal met the family team of mother and two daughters, Julie, Lisa and Megan and their amazing crew to celebrate Small Business Saturday. It’s clear they love Loddon and their local customers, going out of their way to serve delicious and seasonal afternoon teas and lunches. They cater for special diets too, and always bake with local ingredients where they can. Need a fabulous celebration cake? This is the place to go. Innovation came out of Covid and now they’re hosting events in their café, such as craft workshops and life drawing, offering takeaway treat boxes and a catering service, as well as linking up with local businesses and venues for co-hosting events. Just stepping through the door cheers you up so make a beeline for Spoon Cake soon.

D A Browne & Son, Diss
Christmas is coming and traditional family butchers D A Browne & Son in Diss is busy sorting orders for Christmas dinners. Cllr James Easter recently stopped by to celebrate Small Business Saturday and see what’s on offer. Choose from local turkeys, geese and chickens, and also local game with ducks and pheasants priced at less than £5 each, along with tempting sausage rolls, scotch eggs, patés and pies. Pork Cheese, which they make themselves, is a roaring customer favourite and hard to find anywhere else. The welcoming teams at Diss and Harleston have got top tips for the perfect roast. So many great reasons why you should always buy from your local butcher!

The Green Cupboard, Harleston
Do you think less is more? In Harleston, Cllr James Easter met Jodie and Gemma, the sisters behind The Green Cupboard, to celebrate Small Business Saturday and find out more about their business, which opened in 2019. They’re offering their customers refillable ingredients and local produce, gorgeous chocolates, lovely gifts and local crafts in sustainable packaging, Christmas decorations, and wonderful books – with a focus on minimising packaging, sourcing locally and making it so much easier for all their customers to tread more lightly on the environment! Step into the magical Green Cupboard to find lovely and planet-friendly food and gifts.

Broadland

Piece of Cake, Coltishall
You’ll love Piece of Cake, a favourite destination in Coltishall that Cllr Martin Booth visited to celebrate Small Business Saturday and find out what makes this place so popular. It’s all down to lovely owner Liz and her welcoming team, who have created a local hub, greeting regulars by name and giving many local teenagers their very first jobs. Wild swimmers, walkers, cyclists and dog walkers love to meet in the spacious interior or the all-year courtyard, tucking into treats. Their goodies are mostly baked in the kitchen, as well as sourced from other local businesses such as Hewitt and Grant Butchers, Nortons Dairy, Linzers Bakery, Easters and Yare Valley Foods. Choose what you want in your afternoon tea or try a takeaway box for a picnic. Planning a party for about 30 people? They have a hall you can hire. Most popular? Cheese scones and date slices! Now you know what to order.

Brundall Home and Hardware Store
To celebrate Small Business Saturday we visited Brundall Home Hardware, which has been putting its community at the heart of this thriving business for 19 years. Cllr Martin Booth talked with Reverend Andrew Bevan and his wife Allison, who run the store with the help of their daughter and son-in-law. They believe in old-fashioned service, welcoming customers by name and offering a chair to rest if needed. If a product is not on the shelf, they’ll order it in. Look around and find everything useful – hardware and homeware, key cutting, pet accessories, food, garden plants, Christmas decorations, and more. Always quality, always keenly priced, sparing locals the drive into Norwich. Chalk-based Frenchic paint, Norfolk honey, plants from Diss, natural pet products and Christmas trees are just some of the thoughtful product choices. That’s alongside their aim to support other Brundall businesses and champion charities such as Operation Christmas Child, filling shoeboxes with gifts for children in need. We loved our visit and highly recommend turning off the A47 and popping in. Truly a business with a heart!

Bon Bons Aylsham
This is the traditional sweet shop of your dreams, but real! In Aylsham you’ll find Bon Bons down Red Lion Street. Chock full of chocs, jars of bright sweets, fudge, candy canes and dinky sugar mice on the counter, and more things nice, like nougat. Find advent calendars, candles and wonderful cards for Christmas and all year long, plus gorgeous gifts and toys new and old, that would make anyone happy, from toddlers upwards. Find Green Pebble Cards, East Anglia artists and Alex Clark, as well as those-all popular Jellycats. Sara and Cllr Caroline Karimi-Ghovanlou discussed Small Business Saturday, and why supporting independent businesses is both important and fun, and why Aylsham is a great place for shoppers who love a traditional Market Town. Sara will also post to you if you can’t make it in. Put Bon Bons and Aylsham on your must-visit list and we promise you’ll love it.

Flower Folk in Reepham
The scent of flowers and plants captures you first when you step through the door of Flower Folk and then, all the beautifully arranged gifts and objects on the generous table. The more you look, the more you’ll see and want to take home. No wonder they won Muddy Stilettos 2023 Norfolk’s Best Florist!As well as the flowers and plants you’d expect, owners Sonia Burgess (creative florist and front of house) and partner Matthew Burton (deliveries and backroom operations) are keeping customers very happy with Jam Jar Posies, traditional Christmas Wreaths, DIY Wreath kits (top seller!) and free delivery in Reepham. If you’d like to learn how Sonia does it, she also offers courses. Wreathmaking 2023 is already booked up, but releasing soon is her Table Decoration Course, which could be an amazing Christmas gift. They also stock paintings by local artists and cards by Reepham-based Emily Longhurst and Printer Johnson. Cllr Caroline Karimi-Ghovanlou visited to celebrate Small Business Saturday and they talked about the importance of being part of the local community and how innovation, quality and value for money are the keys to small business success.