Celebrating 10 Years of Indie Oxford: A Decade of Supporting Local Businesses

Happy birthday Indie Oxford! Today is the official birthday of the community. Independent Oxford has been championing independent businesses in Oxfordshire since March 2015, playing a crucial role in helping to create a resilient and vibrant local economy. As we celebrate ten years of Indie Oxford, I’m reflecting on the journey, some of the achievements over the years and what the future holds for the indie community. >>

The Indie Oxford Story

Founded in 2015 by me (Rosie Jacobs) and Anna Munday, Indie Oxford started as a way to bring together independent businesses across the county. We wanted to create a space where local business owners could find peer support and a collective voice to promote the benefits of buying local. The idea was simple: the more people we inspire to shop indie and explore local, the stronger our economy and community become. We felt like it was hard to find out about indie businesses online at the time so set about building a website to help people find indies in the city and across the county. All our spare time was spent collecting images, information and building pages on the website to showcase indies.

Indie Oxford growth and impact

Over the past decade, Indie Oxford has grown into a thriving network of 180+ members. In 2024 alone, I hosted over 30 meet ups and events and provided more than 25 hours of one-on-one support to business owners.

It has been an absolute privilege to watch the indie community flourish. Seeing the dedication, resilience and passion of small business owners—especially through challenging times—has been truly inspiring. When Anna and I first started, we felt the need for a supportive network and we quickly realised many others did too. Running a business can be lonely and having a peer group to share challenges and celebrate successes makes all the difference.

We started with monthly meet-ups in early 2015 and from there, Indie Oxford expanded to include a website, enabling locals, visitors and students to discover incredible independent businesses. The website has since grown into a trusted directory, drawing thousands of indie supporters keen to find unique local businesses, stay up-to-date with events and read inspiring stories from the community.

Key achievements over the years

• 2015 – When it all started and we began creating meet ups and the website and collaborated with Turl Street Kitchen on the first Indie Oxford Christmas Market.
• 2017 – Launched the Indie Oxford Compendium in collaboration with Bitten Oxford, highlighting the best indies in the county.
• 2018 and 19 – Created The Indie Oxford Market Place in The Covered Market, bringing together a diverse selection of incredible independent traders.
• 2020 – Adapted rapidly during the pandemic to provide virtual support, including a 4-hour live shopping event on Facebook to help businesses connect with customers online.
• 2021 – Rosie spoke at TEDxOxford about the importance of local businesses and became a key advocate for indies locally and in national reviews.
• 2022-Present – Launched the Indie Oxford Magazine, a printed storytelling publication to celebrate indie businesses.
• 2025 – Held a sell out Indie Oxford Festival at Tap Social taproom with a stellar line up of local acts, activities from indies and 450 indie fans and supporters.

Why Indie Oxford matters

Independent Oxford is more than a business directory; it’s a movement that amplifies the voices of local businesses and helps them survive and thrive in an ever changing landscape. Indie Oxford helps by creating:

• Community support: Bringing together business owners to share resources, ideas and solutions.
• Marketing and promotion: Helping indies increase visibility through the website, blog, social media and events.
• Advocacy: Representing independent businesses in local stakeholder discussions.
• Knowledge sharing: Offering valuable resources and peer led knowledge sharing to help small businesses navigate challenges.
• Events and networking: Hosting meet-ups, markets and workshops that create meaningful connections and opportunities.
• Driving economic resilience: Encouraging more people to shop locally, helping build a sustainable and inclusive local economy.

Join the Indie Oxford community

If you run an independent business in Oxfordshire and are looking for support, visibility and community, come join us! Membership is just £20 a month and includes:

Support and community

• Regular Indie Oxford Meet Ups
• Access to the exclusive Indie Oxford Business Community WhatsApp Group
• Monthly Members-Only Newsletter with news, opportunities and support signposting
• Connect with fellow local business owners and organisations

Marketing and promotion

• Business Directory Listing on the high-traffic Indie Oxford website
• Indie Oxford online sticker to showcase your membership
• Unlimited event listings on the events page

Head to the Indie Oxford members testimonials page to read what members say.

Want to learn more? Email me at rosie@independentoxford.com to join the movement and be part of the next ten years of Indie Oxford!

Let’s keep Oxford indie!

As we celebrate this milestone, I want to thank every indie business, supporter and customer who has been part of this journey. It has been an epic journey and I am forever humbled by the creativity, innovation and tenacity of indie business owners to start up, keep going and create spaces and services that add so much value and positive impact to our county. Oxfordshire is a better place because of you. Here’s to you all.

Here’s to another decade of championing local businesses, creating meaningful connections and making Oxfordshire a great place to run and grow indie businesses.