It’s no secret that high streets across the UK have struggled over recent years, with closed signs and boarded up windows becoming a common sight in a number of towns. However, some places are bucking the trend and continue to offer unique and thriving independent shops.
Marple, an idyllic town skirting the Peak District, was recently named the best place to live in the UK in 2026 by Garrington Property Services. The town, which is located on the River Goyt just nine miles from central Manchester, inspired Agatha’s Christie’s character Miss Marple in 1927. Fast forward almost 100 years and Marple is home to a tightly-knit community that takes pride in maintaining their town. A recent retail summary from Stockport Council showed that there are around 90 independent businesses, out of a total of 110, in the town.
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“It’s a place where people don’t leave,” Steve Gribbon, Councillor for Marple North (Liberal Democrat), tells the Daily Express. “One of the things I realised when I moved here was the amount of people that had lived here their whole life and the generations before them.”
As well as being a local councillor, Mr Gribbon has lived in the town for over 25 years. He credits its success to two main reasons; Marple’s close proximity to the Peak District and the unwavering sense of community spirit.
“The amount of people who want to help the community is absolutely second to none. We’re very lucky and very blessed as it’s just what people are like here,” he explains.
“We have a host of independent shops and they’re an absolute treat. You name it and we’ve got it. These are places that pride themselves on doing something different which attracts people to the area.
“I can walk into my local butchers and they know exactly what I want. You don’t get those sort of relationships with the bigger stores. It all adds to the bigger sense of community here.”

Marple is located at the foot of the Peak District (Image: Getty)
One of the ever-present businesses in the town is Marple Stationery Supplies. The shop, which is located on Stockport Road, has been named the Best Independent Retailer in the UK by the Boss Federation three times.
“We’re into our 21st year in Marple,” owner Sarah Laker, 55, says. “I left behind a career in nursing in 2005 to follow my dream of owning my own shop.
“I didn’t know what I was doing, I’d never ran a shop before but I just went for it. It’s what I wanted to do and here I am over 20 years later still here!
“It is fantastic here. Marple is a lovely place and the community support that we have is fantastic. The local people want to support their town centre and the businesses.”
However, it’s not just the customers that support the businesses in Marple. Mrs Laker explains that her business prides itself on giving back to the community.
“I feel really strongly that, because we’re a community shop, that we all need to support each other,” she says. “We work with local charities and have raised £15,000 since 2018. This gives us a really strong footing with the community as people then want to support us and give back.

Marple Stationery Supplies has been named the Best Independent Retailer in the UK three times (Image: Marple Stationery Supplies)
“The better the local shops in a town, the nicer the area is. It impacts house prices, people’s quality of life and everything. That’s something we pride ourselves on.”
Unlike larger chain stores, the independent traders in Marple are able to build lasting relationships with their customers. These relationships are built through regular contact, personable service and an assurance of quality.
“The local shops connect people unlike the bigger chains. After Covid-19, an old man who has been shopping with me for years came in and left a small box of chocolates,” Mrs Laker explains. “He said ‘they’re for you as I’ve really missed coming into your shop’. That point of contact means so much for people which is so important.”
She adds: “The bigger companies don’t usually have the time to deal with customers personally. A few years ago we had a young girl with cerebral palsy come into our shop.”
“She was really struggling with the pens she was using at school so she came into us. I spent around 25 minutes with her to try a number of pens to find the best one for her. She was absolutely delighted and I don’t think you’ll get that service in the big shops or online.”

Paul David Jewellery has been operating for 30 years (Image: Paul David Jewellery)
Paul David Jewellery has been operating on Market Street for 30 years. It is run by Paul David and his wife Lucy who “owe their life” to their loyal customers.
“We opened in 1996 and have been expanding since then,” Mr David, 55, says. “I’ve also found the community great. If you treat people the right way and offer good prices then they’ll always come back.
“We’re on the edge of the Peak District which is great. You can walk up on the hills within half an hour. It’s just a really nice area and the people are lovely here.”
Despite acknowledging it’s been demanding over the years and their hard work is one of the main reasons behind their success, Mr David notes that the people of Marple have played a huge part in making his shop what it is today.
He says: “My whole life is owed to our customers. They’ve given us a decent standard of living and I’d be nothing without them.”
Unlike other local businesses, Paul David Jewellery does not rely on just one service. Mr David says his company has “a few strings to our bow” which ensures that money is always coming in.
“If one side of the business is quiet then another side might be busy. We don’t just rely on retail sales, we’ve got a workshop that does things like watch straps and re-modelling. It all adds in and makes the business what it is.
“We’re just a down to earth family business. We employ seven people who have been with us for years. It’s certainly demanding but we’ve done really well. It’s hard work but it’s worth it.”

Paul David and his wife Lucy (Image: Paul David Jewellery)
Neil Drogie has been running The Icing On The Cake, also located on Market Street, for 35 years. The 57-year-old started working in bakeries around Manchester for his dad before opening the business when he was 22.
He believes that Marple continues to thrive as it is yet to be engulfed by Stockport and Manchester. The town remains independent and cherishes its own unique identity.
“There’s a good community spirit in Marple. It’s a bit of a blast from the past as everyone knows everyone,” Mr Drogie says. I’ve always found it to be a good place to trade because of these reasons. It’s the perfect place for people to start a business, I think.”
Business and operating costs in Marple remain lower than its big neighbours. This allows traders to move into the town with a sense of assurance.
Mr Drogie adds: “Most of the traders in Marple are independent traders and a lot of them have been here for a long time. For example, we have two independent butchers and how many places can say that nowadays?
“The community likes having the service and craftsmanship of the independent traders, while we like having the community and repeat custom. It works both ways.”

Neil Drogie has been operating The Icing On The Cake for 35 years (Image: Neil Drogie)
Like other towns up and down the UK, there are big-name shops in Marple, including the Asda supermarket at the Ridgedale Centre. Although they offer important services to locals, they do not deter residents from shopping at smaller, independent stores.
Zoe Smith, who has been operating The Flower House Marple for two and a half years, says the people of the town are particularly loyal and enjoy a personal service. She explains that they “genuinely care” about the businesses and are willing to always support them.
“The community here is very supportive and they genuinely care about local businesses. They’re really appreciative to have a flower shop,” the 40-year-old says. “Although there’s an Asda down the road, they like having a personable business. It gives them a different experience and we do things properly.
“We just concentrate on flowers and the people really like that. They get service with us that they can’t get at Asda, for instance. In other places, people might walk into a shop and pick up some flowers and leave. Whereas here, it’s more than that.”

Zoe Smith prides her company on friendly service (Image: Zoe Smith)
Her shop is not just a place for people to buy flowers but also for people to pop in and have a chat. Mrs Smith believes this is what makes the town so special.
She says: “A lot of people have a chat with us about everything. Little things like the weather, what they’re up to and their families. It helps build relationships, which is so important.
“I’ve made some good friends over the years who began as customers. We actually employed someone recently who started out as a customer.”
She adds: “There’s such a community spirit in Marple. There’s that old-fashioned village feel where people want to support and help each other as much as possible. The people here want a good high street and appreciate that they need to support us to make that happen.”
However, it’s not just the local people that support the businesses of Marple. Most of the shops also benefit from customers who visit from outside of the area.

Marple is located on the River Goyt near the Peak District (Image: Getty)
Mrs Laker, of Marple Stationery Supplies, says: “You don’t get many stationery shops these days so a lot of people travel to Marple to see us. We’ve got a good reputation both locally and nationally so that helps bring people to both us and the town.
“Those people that come into Marple for the specialist shops might then visit other shops. They might then want to move to the area as they like it so much.
“A lot of high streets in the UK are changing for the worse but fortunately there are some that aren’t. Like us, we’re absolutely thriving here which is great.”
It’s fair to say that Marple isn’t resting on its laurels and continues to go from strength to strength. There are a number of projects in the pipeline which will further benefit the town.
Councillor Gribbon says: “There’s a lot going on in Marple. We recently secured £20m in funding for a new leisure centre.
“We’re definitely on the up and to have read that we’ve been named the best place to live is a joy. We don’t take it for granted but know that we deserve it for our hard work.”

The town has been named the best to live in 2026 (Image: Google Maps)
