Residents and business owners have come together to help promote the more than 100 small, local businesses on Magdalen Road in East Oxford. As well as a crowd of residents, the launch was also attended by Councillors and local residents Cllr Rosie Rawle and Cllr Katherine Miles and business owners and staff from The Goldfish Bowl, Wild Honey and Magic Café.
The campaign, entitled Magdalen Road Village, was initiated by former Lord Mayor Craig Simmons, who lives on the street, and himself ran a small business on Magdalen Road for more than a decade. The campaign is backed by local City Councillors and the area’s County Councillor with involvement from a number of local traders.
Speaking at the launch Craig said, “Magdalen Road is full of exciting, amazing and useful small businesses – mostly locally owned. Not only do we have award-winning cafes and restaurants but also a supermarket and convenience stores, a community pub, a gym and yoga studio, health food store, hardware store, electric bike shop, an Italian barber, a store selling Nordic products and much, much more.”
Also present at the launch was local City Councillor and East Oxford resident Rosie Rawle: “I am very happy to support this initiative to showcase the street to a wider audience. Local traders have had a tough few years.”
Says Matt Sage, co-owner of Wild Honey, Magdalen Road (winner of Best Independent Trader award)
“We are excited to showcase what a truly remarkable community of independent businesses we have here on Magdalen Road. As well being a wonderful place to work and from which to serve our community, it’s also a very precious resource for the whole of Oxford. As a local, independent health food business, we are very much in support of cleaner, safer streets, and fewer cars, while we also understand that some people will need to come to us by car, either due to distance or for a whole range of health-related reasons. It is important for all of us traders to get the message out that, even though you might need to plan a slightly different route, Magdalen Road is very much as open and accessible as it has always been, and that we look forward to seeing you soon!”
Flyers are being delivered to local streets and a new street sign is being installed this week.
