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A Guide to Falmouth's Indie Spirit

A Guide to Falmouth's Indie Spirit

Small Business Saturday is an annual event where every year small and independent retailers celebrate what they make and sell. The day aims to provide an antidote to the competitive and extreme sales focus of Black Friday, instead providing a platform for all the small, indie shops and makers to shout their socks off about their craft.  

To mark the day (4th December) we're shining the spotlight on Falmouth, the beautiful and unique town we moved to two years ago. If you’ve never been (or even heard of it) the town sits on the Fal river estuary, on the south coast of Cornwall, in the South West corner of the UK. It would take you about 6 hours to drive here from London, and even for some people in Cornwall, Falmouth feels a bit out of the way.

Despite this, we have a thriving creative scene, a young, diverse population due to the two universities that are based here and stunning natural scenery with the river on one side and the Cornish coastline on the other. If you’re planning a visit, which we highly recommend, here are our top recommendations for shopping, eating and drinking during your stay.

Falmouth Cornwall Library and Art Gallery  Falmouth old high street sign to more shops  Shop front of Falmouth independent

The shops!

Inspire Makers – This beautifully curated shop up on the Old High Street showcases over 50 local artists, with the aim of sharing work that no other shop in Falmouth has. Go for unique and exquisite finds as well as a range of our prints and cards on the shelves!

The Bean Hive – Beige-phobic is the core value of this brilliant shop on Arwenack Street, it screams with colourful, fun gifts.

Willow & Stone – Also on Arwenack Street, Willow & Stone specialises in ironmongery and hardware such as door knobs and knockers, as well as a beautiful range of cards, prints, books and other giftware with a vintage twist. You can shop a large range of our greeting cards here.

Marghasa – This hidden gem can be found in St Georges Arcade on Church Street with local artists and makers represented as well as other homewares, plants and dried flowers.

Roma Surf Shop - Falmouth's newest and coolest surf shop, selling gorgeous boards and apparel for surfers and non-surfers alike. They also host community nights, showing surf films and other fun stuff!

There are so many more independent shops to mention including booksellers, antique stores, vintage clothing, art galleries, plastic free and grocery stores that it’s impossible to name them all. All we can say is go take a look for yourself!

Falmouth high street and shops  Oystercatcher shop Mawnan Smith falmouth  Falmouth Cornwall independent shopping

Taking a break

We all know how tiring shopping can be so here are our picks for a pit stop mid-way down the high street, or a meal afterwards:

Beacon Coffee – Start the day off right with a coffee from these guys. The best coffee in Falmouth.

Stones Bakery – All you could ever want from a bakery, try and tear your eyes away from their mouth-watering window of treats. The sausage rolls are a winner!

Fuel - Breakfast served all day with the best English breakfast and American pancakes in Falmouth. The Windjammer comes a close second.

The Meat Counter – There’s a reason this burger joint is featured in Lonely Planet’s guide. Mouth-watering options for meat lovers, veggies and vegans alike. We love to just grab a milkshake and sit on the benches outside for some people watching.

Hooked on the Rocks – One of our top recommendations for dinner, this restaurant is literally perched on the rocks overlooking Swanpool beach, which is our local swim and occasional surf spot. Go all out on the lobster.

Gylly Beach Café – the place to go for an ice cream and a paddle in the turquoise water. Our favourite is the vegan mango!

Bango Kitchen - located just outside of Falmouth in Penryn, Bango does the tastiest sushi, bao buns, ramen and dumplings in Cornwall. Our top pick is the teriyaki beef brisket bao bun, nothing beats it! 

Swanpool beach Falmouth  Ice cream at Gylly beach Falmouth  Swanpool beach surf waves Falmouth

I hope you enjoyed our round up of Falmouth’s independents, if you have any favourites that we’ve missed off then let us know in the comments! If you’d like to find out more about what Falmouth has to offer, including the museums, boat trips, the castle and other activities then please take a look at www.falmouth.co.uk

Edit: Refreshed in Summer 2023!

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2 comments

  • After reading this, there’s no option but to go tomorrow.

    John Simpson
  • A lovely quick rundown of Falmouth’s delights, makes me want to head off there right now!

    Graham

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