Why Lincoln’s Independents Make the City Worth Exploring

What I love about Lincoln is... the originality of the small independent businesses in the area.

If you go off the beaten track and explore different routes around town, you can soon discover a variety of surprising, new and existing businesses offering interesting services, products or exciting new events.

For example you can go to an independent book store and find they’ll do pottery classes, print-making and zine workshops, or you’ll find a refurbished church that now hosts gigs, creative markets, stage plays and life drawing classes. Lincoln is not limited to the central business district, there are so many other paths to explore.

In my line of work I have come across so many innovative, resourceful and interesting people who have started up businesses from scratch, based on a passion they may have had for a while, and I would say their key to success has been their individuality and authenticity, an ability to show their personality through their business, which really stands them out from the crowd. Their passion drives their business forward, and they use their imagination and inventiveness to offer services/products/events you wouldn’t necessarily see in your average high street shop, cafe or venue.

I love to celebrate and shout out about these individuals in my seasonal magazine, the Little Book of Small Businesses. This gives independent businesses and sole traders, all over the county, a platform to promote themselves in an authentic way plus a chance to connect and collaborate with other local, like-minded individuals for mutual benefit. The magazine has attracted a community of creative innovators - who I have had the greatest pleasure of getting to know, over the years - and who’s originality,boldness and creativity make Lincoln and the surrounding areas a more exciting place to be.

In an age of social media trends and AI it is sometimes difficult to resist the temptation to join in and follow what everyone else is doing.

My advice would be to identify what makes yourself, your project/business original, inject your personality into it and be creative. You don’t need to follow the path of others, find out what works best for you and your project. Showing your authentic self will always be more interesting to others!

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Author: Polly Fotheringham

Business: Little Book of Small Businesses

Email: polly@ravendesignco.co.uk

Photography: Headshot Toby