Sheffield Bags of Love

The four Shop Local Bag designs laid out against a blue background.

Love to shop local in Sheffield? Look out for four brightly designed tote bags which are set to be available from your favourite local shops.

These specially designed bags have been created to help encourage people to shop local and will be available from a selection of independent retailers across the city.

To give the bags a truly local flavour, four Sheffield artists were commissioned to provide the eye-catching designs- Oli Frape, Suzi Kemp, Aleema Ali and Lydia Lapinski, and they were given a brief to create artwork inspired by the city, themed around shopping locally and supporting the wider high-street community.

This limited run of bags will be distributed to high-street businesses across the city, who will then decide individually how to make use of them- be that as a FREE gift for spending a certain amount, as part of a loyalty/reward scheme or simply as a welcome gift to first-time customers.

Following an exceptionally challenging time for the high-street, it is hoped that this awareness initiative (coinciding with the removal of Covid-19 restrictions and the arrival of spring) will help to stimulate trade and pride in local retail.

Keep an eye out for posters displayed in shop windows letting you know which businesses are stocking the totes and don’t forget to share the love on social media when shopping local using the #ShopLocalSheffield hashtag!

We'd love to see your snaps of the bags in use and the lovely local businesses you've been supporting, so feel free to tag us @VisitSheffield & @SheffBusiness on social. 

Shop Local Sheffield bag animated gif

Artists & their designs...

The Lydia Lapinski Shop Local bag design, with 9 brightly coloured squares each with a drawing of local products.

Need ideas for indie shopping in Sheffield?

Indie shopping in Kelham Island

As the hospitality scene has gone from strength to strength in Kelham Island, more retail too is now also beginning to pop up across the district.

Indie shopping in Sheffield City Centre

Aside to high-street names, there are plenty of amazing independent shops to browse in Sheffield City Centre.

Indie scene in Ecclesall Road & Sharrow Vale Road

Ecclesall Road offers a three mile stretch of restaurants, coffee houses, pubs, bars and shops. Running parallel is the shorter but equally vibrant, Sharrow Vale Road.

Indie scene in Abbeydale Road & Nether Edge

Also known as the Sheffield Antiques Quarter, the area along and around Abbeydale Road houses a diverse selection of quirky independents, and continues over into Nether Edge.

Indie scene in Hillsborough

Hillsborough is experiencing something of a rebirth, with a fast-growing community of new independent businesses, bringing a fresher feel to the area.  

Indie scene in Crookes, Walkley & Broomhill

Sharing the same hill, Crookes and Walkey are close enough to one another that you could easily take a shopping stroll round both in a morning or afternoon, and maybe even add on a visit to Broomhill too. All are home to a selection of unique retail businesses.

This initiative has been partly funded by the England European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), as part of the Reopening High Streets Safely (RHSS) project. 

Established by the European Union, ERDF funds help local areas stimulate their economic development by investing in projects which will support innovation, businesses, create jobs and local community regenerations. www.gov.uk/european-growth-funding

The European Union and HM Government logos to acknowledge the source of funding.

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