How to support small local businesses online

With the popularity of e-commerce forever on the rise, it can be daunting to set up your own physical business when you can’t gauge exactly how successful it will be. Several large retailers have recently had to stop trading due to a lack of footfall in their high street stores, but that shouldn’t stop you from fulfilling your dreams, whether you opt for a combination of a physical store and an online presence, or just stick to the one.

Supporting local businesses is as important as ever if you want to see your city thrive in uniqueness, and showing your support can be as simple as sharing their posts on Facebook, or recommending them to friends who are visiting from out of town. Hull has always had a great selection of independent shops, so we’ve listed a couple of local gems below, with some information on what they offer.

Raven Hobbies

Originally trading from the kitschy store Across the Continents in the city centre, Raven Hobbies is a local nerds’ haven, dedicated to supplying Hull with a large variety of collectables.

Occupying a stall in Trinity Market, it presents shelves upon shelves heaving with everything from Funko Pop to retro action figures of horror icons like Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees. Pricing is extremely reasonable, which is a nice change from popular high street chains that have a penchant for adding extra pounds onto merchandise that should retail for around £9.99, so it’s worth checking out if you’re looking for a bargain.

Raven Hobbies has a website where you can order and reserve items, and a Facebook page that regularly updates with all of their most recent products.

Mama’s Delights

The mouthwatering desserts sold by Mama’s Delights took one woman on an exciting journey, which went from selling old school desserts at a market stall several days a week to owning an extremely popular shop located on Anlaby Road.

Owner and baker Jamielea Marshall regularly sold out of her baked goods, ranging from classic puds like chocolate concrete and custard, to more current sweet crazes such as loaded cheesecakes. Thanks to growing popularity, she even began to offer a home delivery service to customers who couldn’t get enough of her sugary delights.

Now, Jamielea owns her very own cafe, where she sells sweet treats along with a new range of savoury snacks The lip-smacking menu includes full English breakfasts and homecooked roast dinners with all the trimmings.

You can find Mama’s Delights on Facebook, where Jamielea offers regular updates on the specials of the day and her much coveted delivery slots.

Hull offers many more hidden gems like Raven Hobbies and Mama’s Delights, whether you’re looking for somewhere to buy quirky gifts or try out a new staple for your lunch break. As long as we keep shouting about them whenever we can and promoting what they do on social media, Hull should always be rife with retail individuality.