The little market town with UK's 'best high street' loaded with 150 independent shops

As high streets across the UK continue to struggle with many closures and declining footfall, it appears one beautiful market town is bucking the national trend. The North Yorkshire market town, often described as the gateway to the Yorkshire Dales, has a thriving high street that's filled with independent businesses, from live music venues, gift shops and boutiques, opticians, hardware stores, to unique restaurants, pubs and bars. Its award-winning high street has also previously been named the 'best' in Britain. In 2008, Skipton was named the best high street in Britain by the Academy of Urbanism.

The Skipton Business Improvement District told the Express that the town centre has a remarkably low vacancy rate of just 5%. 35% of businesses in Skipton are independents, which is approximately 150. These independent businesses range from hardware and electrical stores to boutiques, coffee shops, restaurants, and a brand new Pilates studio, Polyworks.

The BID also represents a number of long-standing businesses, including Benjamin Opticians and John Mason Printers, a town centre staple since 1953; C&H Brown ladies' wear (1974); Bizzie Lizzies, a fish and chip takeaway and restaurant serving delicious dishes since 1986; and Craven Stationery (1991).

There are also some exciting new developments, including the newly opened Brownie Barn by Love Brownie, serving award-winning brownies, and Scented Creations, which has recently moved to larger premises and produces handcrafted, high-quality candles, wax melts, and home fragrances.

Recently also crowned the UK's happiest place to live in a survey conducted by property website Rightmove, Skipton's success appears rooted in a rare combination: strong local support, steady tourism and a tight-knit business community that feeds off the town's distinctive character.

One business that captures this spirit is Lighthouse Lane, a design-led gift shop run by husband and wife team Katie and Howard Shelmerdine. The independent Yorkshire brand was founded about 11 years ago after the couple left corporate banking careers to pursue a more creative path. Katie left her corporate job following maternity leave, and shortly afterward, Howard also left his to found their own business.

Skipton became their second location after Haworth, followed by a third shop in Harrogate. The Skipton shop has been around for six and a half years, during which time the town has continued to grow and evolve. They feel Skipton is currently in a strong place, with recent investment and regeneration boosting confidence in the high street.

The arrival of larger retailers such as Hotel Chocolat and Edinburgh Woollen Mill has helped reinforce this, while still sitting comfortably alongside the town's strong independent sector, Katie said. The couple also pointed to a growing number of bakeries, coffee shops and specialist retailers.

Katie told the Express: "Skipton has really blossomed. We've had a couple of big retailers that have recently moved in which has sort of proved confidence in the town, and they sit quite nicely next to the independents."

There's a good mix of local shoppers and visitors coming in with more tourists visiting during Christmas time and the summer. She added: "There's a large local population that relies on the high street, so it's not just visitors coming in-it's supported by the community."

They design about half of the products sold including acryclic paintings and sketches that Katie makes herself and the shop also sells Yorkshire-themed clothing, locally inspired artwork and giftware. The remainder is sourced from other independent artists and designers whose work complements their own.

Howard explained that the town's mix of small units and accessible spaces has helped create a thriving environment for independents. The couple highlighted Skipton's strong sense of community, including among independent traders and loyal customers. Howard said: "You build relationships with your regular customers-you get to know people."

There are also events throughout the year that draw both local residents and visitors into the town centre, they explained, from the Christmas lights switch-on to rural-themed celebrations such as Skipton Sheep Day. They said shoppers are becoming more thoughtful about where they spend their money, saying people now "like a backstory" and increasingly want to buy from businesses with personality.

If you're in Skipton, don't miss Skipton Sound Bar, run by Dave Forshaw. The live music venue also houses a record shop and a bar, and the business has been a fixture in the town for more than a decade.

Launched over 10 years ago, Skipton Sound Bar moved into a larger venue around three and a half years ago. Since then, it has grown into a cultural hub for the town, hosting regular live acts and attracting many visitors from the region and beyond.

Dave Forshaw told the Express: "We have a wonderful local community. It's very much a tourist town as well. It's on the gateway to the Yorkshire Dales, so it gets a lot of tourism and it gets lots of day visitors and people who come for the weekends, etc. It's got reasonable transport links from bigger cities like Leeds, so it's quite easy to get to."

There are barely any empty units he said. "I can only think of maybe one empty shop at the moment. That's so different from what you see in many towns and cities."

Originally from nearby Halifax where he also runs a record shop, Mr Forshaw moved to Skipton in the 1990s. He describes the town as beautiful with a great high street filled with independent shops.

He said: "It's a beautiful town, beautifully laid out, with a castle and canals that attract many visitors, particularly for canal boat trips. It's a great place to spend a weekend, with wonderful restaurants, lovely bars, and a really nice vibe."

Skipton has a lot to offer when it comes to food and drink, he said. Some must-visit spots include fine-dining restaurants such as the Curious Fox and Le Caveau, alongside traditional pubs like the Castle, the Woolly Sheep and the Cock and Bottle, which are well known for their food. Skipton is also home to a strong independent bar scene, with venues such as the award-winning Beer Engine, the Boathouse and the Mess Rooms.

Out of the Ordinary is another independent Skipton business that's worth a stop. The shop won Best Craft & Gift Shop in 2024 at the English Independent Retail Awards and received a special recognition award in 2024 through the Skipton Business Awards.

It was created in 2017 by the then-owner Jane Ord, who wanted to have an outlet for crafters who sold their items at craft fairs once a month. With the opening of the shop, Jane created a place for crafters to showcase their products 24/7.

Nicola Heap worked for Jane on a part-time basis and in 2021, bought the business from Jane and relocated it to its current position on Swadford Street.

As a crafter herself, Ms Heap enjoys working in the shop and seeing all the exceptional crafts the artists make, and truly understands how much time and effort go into creating each piece and enjoys relaying this to customers.

Since taking over the shop in 2021, she has concentrated on the website and making it more accessible to see on Google searches. This hasn't been easy, but after three years, it is finally starting to pay off, and the shop is seeing an increase in both website traffic and customers physically coming to the store.

She told the Express: "We act as a team with all the other independents in Skipton. If a customer wants a product we don't stock, we will happily recommend another independent shop we think will stock it and vice versa. It's a real community atmosphere in Skipton.

"We try not to duplicate what another crafter is selling so that everyone has a chance to sell in the shop. What started with just over 25 crafters has grown to over 50 and therefore, sourcing new crafters is becoming more difficult as I try to find ones that are unique and different to the ones I already have. I do have a waiting list so if there is a crafter making something that someone else does, then they can be placed on there until a space becomes available.

"But we are always on the lookout for new crafters and products so if your readers think they have something I don't currently stock, please get in touch!"

Ms Heap added: "A lot of independent businesses cannot afford the high rents and business rates associated with the main high street. That is why most of us are located on the side streets and alleyways. If people ventured off the high street and explored Skipton, they would find an array of independent retailers & cafes that are the hidden gems of the town.

"I'm always trying to think of new concepts for the shop to make us stand out from everyone else."