From balls of wool to frozen yoghurt, you can buy virtually anything you want in Headingley – all without setting foot in a single high street chain.
Although the Arndale Centre is home to a handful of well-known brands, the area is famous for its wide range of independent retailers, many of whom have only set up shop in the last few years.
So what is it about Headingley that allows such a wide range of unique businesses to thrive?
Brothers Stuart and Andy Pierce and their business partner, Jamie Hudson, opened their first branch of Moo frozen yoghurt on St Anne’s Road in January.
The launch has been so successful that they are now preparing to open their second branch this weekend, at the Leeds Metropolitan University campus.
“I think Headingley is quite a bohemian place and people who live here often like to shop locally,” Stuart, 30, said. “The traders support each other as well.
“Headingley is interesting because although it’s a student area, you get a nice mix of families coming down, especially when the students aren’t around.”
Mum-of-one Verity Britton opened wool shop Baa Ram Ewe, on Otley Road, back in 2009.
Her customer base ranges from 18-year-old students to octogenerians who visit Headingley to shop and enjoy the area’s cafe culture.
“We get a really broad spectrum of people coming in,” she said. “I think Headingley has a really nice mix and although it is a student area, there are more and more families coming down.
“We have customers who come from Harrogate, Skipton, Wakefield and they can make a day of it in Headingley, because you can stop for lunch and browse at different stores, which is quite rare.”
“I think people who live in the area feel very connected to it and they feel passionate about keeping the area alive,” she added.
“They choose to shop here because they understand that by supporting local shops, they’re keeping this going.”
Young entrepreneur Lucy Sunderland is an inspiration, having opened her sweet store Candy Shack at the age of just 19.
She sometimes puts in 70-hour weeks at her shop on Otley Road, which is frequented by students, families and visitors to the nearby Headingley Medical Centre.
“It is mainly a student trade and that’s the main reason I opened here,” the 21-year-old said.
“But we do get children in, especially after school on a Friday, and sometimes people come in from the medical centre after their appointments.”
Although award-winning restaurant Salvo’s is probably the most successful retailer in Headingley, another man hoping to follow in the Dammone brothers’ footsteps is James Costello.
James, 34, opened his first branch of Costello’s in Driffield in 1999 and opened in Leeds in November.
“Headingley has got a good, solid community,” he said. “The traders are all very supportive of new businesses.
“There’s a cafe and a bakery nearby, but one specialises in cakes and the other in bread, whereas we specialise in pies.
“If you have a range of really good businesses, it makes it easier for customers to shop here. Headingley seems to be moving more in that direction, which can only be a good thing.”
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