Celebrating Women In Business For International Women Days 2021

To celebrate International Women’s Day today, we’ve put together a list of independent businesses owned, or co-owned, by awesome women in Oxfordshire. There are so many brilliant female business owners and managers across Oxford and Oxfordshire, who inspire us and play a big part in making sure the indie business community in Oxfordshire is supportive, collaborative and innovative. Here are 87 female run awesome indies to check out. >>

Victoria Borondo Co-Owner of 2 North Parade

Opened in September 2013, 2 North Parade is a neighbourhood produce store run by Peter Slade and Victoria Borondo. They work closely with local farmers, producers and suppliers who focus on the quality, integrity and provenance of their produce.

Amy Surman Owner of Amy Surman: The Oxford Bead Shop

Amy runs a lovely friendly store tucked at the top of Cowley Road selling a fantastic array of jewellery making supplies. Amy also holds regular workshops from silver smithing to beaded jewellery for beginners as well as skilled jewellers.

Laura Hancock Owner of Ayurveda Corner

Laura offers Ayurvedic Massage Therapy treatments using therapeutic oils, marma massage and chakra balancing techniques to strengthen, heal and rejuvenate the body.

Caitlin Langford Co-Owner of Bearded Viking Drinks

Oxford based Bearded Viking Drinks create delicious world class cocktails that are then lovingly poured into stylish bottles, ready to drink where ever you are!

Jane Gandon Owner of Bicycle Blooms

Bicycle Blooms is a beautiful artisan flower shop on Magdalen Road, where Jane creates bespoke bouquets for all occasions. Her emphasis is on seasonal flowers, seed heads, berries and foliage that reflect the year, as well as super cool house plants.

Steli Stefanova Co-Owner of Blue Blood Sports

Blue Blood is a Teamwear, School wear and Workwear Specialist based in the centre of Oxford. The team pride themselves upon their great customer care and quality of service using many years of experience to ensure complete customer satisfaction.

Verity Piggott Co-Owner of Bonners

Bonners are an independent family business, based in the historic Oxford Covered Market since 1952. They are passionate about supporting local farmers and reducing the carbon footprint across the food chain.

Bethanie Cunnick and Rachel Olden Co-Owners of Bunny and Bear Designs

Bunny and Bear Designs is a colourful UK childrenswear brand promoting fun and inclusivity. Created by two mums for kids who like to express who they are through their clothes.

Emma Finneron Owner of ByEmmaJaneInteriors

From the very outset ByEmmaJaneInteriors was set up with the intention of being a good quality, but cost effective and money saving approach to interior design to be accessible to everyone.

Siobhan McMillan Owner of Celia’s Cafe

Celia’s Cafe are the UK’s only mobile cafe bakery, specialising in Dutch baked treats. Travelling around Oxfordshire in Cora the Coffee Van, and currently set up at Harcourt Arboretum, they’re the place to be if you want to treat yourself to something Lekker.

Clare Moroney Owner of Clare Moroney Make Up

Clare has built up her portfolio working on multiple weddings and collaborating with a number of photographers on fashion shoots.

Milly Barr Owner of Colombia Coffee Roasters

Colombia Coffee Roasters is a speciality, single-origin coffee roasters born and based in Oxford (UK). Milly is part of a generation of coffee growers in Colombia with a strong focus on delivering high-quality coffee and education, whilst supporting Fair Trade conditions to ensure her coffee is sustainable and ethical.

Fiona Cranston Owner of Cranston Pickles

Fiona makes home made, locally sourced pickled fruit & vegetables alongside free range pickled eggs. All her ingredients are sourced locally from farms and markets around Oxfordshire.

Dido Reynolds & Emma Burnett at Cultivate

Cultivate is Oxford’s Local Food Cooperative supplying local, organic, fresh fruit and veg to the people of Oxford via their Summertown Farmer’s market stall, and online delivery services.

Anna Butler Owner of Custom Made Jewellery

Custom Made is an accessory brand designing jewellery and textile pieces. Each product is designed and created in house in the Custom Made studio in Oxford.

Nancy Farmer and Jessica Silver Co-Owners of ElWell

ElWell helps people look after their parents as they get older. It’s not always easy to know what to do or where to turn, and ElWell offers relevant and in-depth information, support and advice.

Esther Pesci Owner of Essie Bakes

Essie Bakes provides bespoke cakes and bakes for local cafes and for private order, as well as courier delivery throughout UK Mainland.

Katie Gordon Owner of Everybody Studio

Every Body Studio is a small, supportive, non judgmental space for movement classes in St Clements, Oxford. They specialise in Yoga, Pilates and Barre.

Kat Cane Owner at Face Oxford

Face Oxford is an aesthetic clinic, providing exceptional service in the centre of Oxford, delivered by experienced nurse, Kat.

Daniella Cromwell Store Manager Fairtrade At St Michaels

Fairtrade at St Michaels was the first shop in Oxford to offer a high quality range of fairly traded goods from across the globe, safe in the knowledge that our friends in the developing world are being advantaged and the environment is being honoured.

Debbie Mole Co-Owner of Fallow & Field

Fallow & Fields are an event catering company who’s passion and ethos has always been on making the most of amazing local, sustainable and seasonal produce.

Debora Hastings Owner of Gaia Botanics

Gaia Botanics is a small, ethical, apothecary kitchen handcrafting nourishment for the skin in the historical city of Oxford, creating traditional artisan, Palm free soaps, solid shampoo and conditioner bars, along with luxury bath salts.

Debora Brand, Marketing Manager of Gatineau

Gatineau, nestled in the heart of Summertown, offers the finest artisan produce in the French/European patisserie and boulangerie tradition.

Christina Jeffery Co-Owner of Gourdans Steak Frites

Established and serving Steak Frites since 2015 locally in Oxford and around the UK from our Renault Estafette mobile kitchen that Matt & Christina still travel with, catering at private, corporate and public events.

Kate Hamblin Co-Owner of Hamblin Bread

Kate makes bread from stone ground British flour, water and salt, and use locally grown grain wherever possible. Kate & Hugo also sell house-made preserves, cheese from Neal’s Yard, provisions and a small selection of natural wines, ciders and beer.

Celine Wills Owner of The Handle Bar Cafe & Kitchen

The Handle Bar Cafe & Kitchen serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, all made with love and carefully sourced ingredients from local independent suppliers.

Julia Atkinson Owner of Happy Cakes

Since 2009 Happy Cakes have been making thousands of cupcakes with fun and love! Each cake is lovingly hand crafted in Julia’s Summertown kitchen using the finest ingredients available.

Hannah Pye Owner of Hello Hann Photography

After several years living and working overseas; from Guatemala to Australia, Sri Lanka to South East Asia, Hannah now resides in Oxford.

Hilal Johnson Owner of Hilly Jo

Hilly Jo offers a selection of artisan beachwear, home and lifestyle products handcrafted by Turkish and the UK artisan producers. These high-quality traditional items are tasteful, versatile and stylish for home and personal use.

Emily Stewart Owner of Horsebox Coffee

Horsebox Coffee Co. is a small, independent coffee roastery based on a quiet working farm in South Oxfordshire. Emily’s trusty old horsebox has been converted into a mobile coffee bar which you can find at events across the county.

Emily Scaysbrook Co-Owner of Hoyles of Oxford

An independent, family-run games shop based on Oxford’s High Street since 1997, they sell traditional and vintage table-top games.

Sarah Wearden Co-Owner of Indigo

Indigo was opened by Sarah and her partner Josh in 2008. Their mission is to support small producers and suppliers, and offer something different to their beloved Oxford community.

Vanessa Lacey Owner of Irving Contemporary

Irving Contemporary is a contemporary fine art and ceramics gallery based in Oxford. In addition to the curated selection of art and ceramics available through the online gallery.

Lizzie Armitage Co-Owner of Jericho Coffee Traders

Conceived in 2012, Jericho Coffee Traders has evolved from the back of a Vespa tricycle into a roastery and a speciality espresso bar in the heart of Oxford.

Jessie Whealy Co-Owner of Jessie’s Art Shed

Jessie and Olly, are the husband and wife duo behind Jessie’s Art Shed. They run an art shop in Eynsham, Oxfordshire where they host classes and workshops for all ages, stock a fantastic range of art products both in shop and online, and sell amazing creations by local artists.

Rachel Everett Co-Owner of L’Altre Vi

L’altre Vi are specialist importers of organic, biodynamic and natural wines from Catalonia in north-east Spain. Their eclectic collection ranges from fine wines to the slightly more unusual.

Molly Stevenson Owner of Littlemore Candle Company

Molly creates soy wax candles, hand poured in small batches, using natural essential oils. Each unique candle is decorated with botanicals and includes a healing crystal for you to keep, creating a little more than a candle.

Amy Williams Owner of May & Co

may + co is an Oxford based online space selling lovingly sourced and restored mid to late 20th century furniture, homeware and ethical finds.

Shona Ritchie Shop Manager of Modern Art Oxford

Modern Art Oxford’s eclectic shop stocks a wide range of unique gifts, jewellery, cards and a selection of books, as well as exhibition catalogues and merchandise and artist editions available on the Own Art scheme.

Sarah Dennis Owner of Mostly Books

An award-winning independent bookshop located in the heart of Abingdon. Mostly Books offers an excellent range of books, greeting cards, gifts and children’s toys.

Kate Thirwell Owner of Mum’s The Word Poetry

Kate Thirlwall is a mother, poet and creative practitioner. Kate’s mission through Mum’s The Word Poetry is to use creativity as a tool to begin a more authentic conversation about modern motherhood, womanhood and as a way of nurturing women to practise self-care.

Julie Macken Owner of Neve’s Bees

Julie and her daughter, Neve, are beekeepers and the owners of Neve’s Bees! They make 100% natural skincare (using ingredients you can actually read!) with a little help from their bees.

Harriet McAtee Owner of Nourish Yoga Training

Hazel Dexter Co-Owner of Objects Of Use

Objects of Use is a modern-day hardware store, home to a unique selection of everyday household tools, conscientiously sourced from around the globe.

Claire Waite Brown Owner of Open Stage Arts

Open Stage Arts hosts drama and singing classes for adults that are designed to be fun, friendly and pressure free.

Rachel Zivkovic Co-Owner of Oxfordshire Upholstery

Oxford’s specialist upholstery, curtaining and soft furnishing workshop offering a complete range of upholstery services to residential and business clients.

Cassandra Smith Owner of Oxford Weaving Studio

The Oxford Weaving Studio is Oxfordshire’s first (and only!) community-minded creative studio dedicated to contemporary weaving.

Vanessa Vaghetti Owner of Oxfordshire Living

Vanessa’s business Oxfordshire Living offers a range of apartments and houses which can be booked short term as an alternative to a hotel.

Kat Clark Co-Owner of Oxonbox

Oxonbox is a discovery subscription box service that features a range of products from small businesses based in Oxfordshire and the surrounding area.

Judy Payne & Anna Coppock Family Owners of Payne & Son

Payne & Son is an eighth generation family business, established in 1790. Judy started working in her father’s store in 1969, and now Anna and Max, the 8th generation, also work in the shop.

Tunde Balazs Owner of Pixie’s Magic Hook

Pixie’s Magic Hook create and sell crochet and macrame homewares and decorations using 100% recycled cotton.

Laura Wiedemann Co-Owner of Pompette

The French word for tipsy — Pompette, a stylish charcuterie wine bar and restaurant in Summertown, Oxford.

Amanda Suliman Bell Owner of Rainbow & Spoon Boutique

Amanda has run Rainbow & Spoon on Park End Street since 1982 and is one of Oxford’s most loved boutiques.

Caroline Marcus Director of Reginald Davies

Reginald Davis are an independent family jewellers in Oxford, specialising in antique, second-hand and modern jewellery.

Rona Marsden Owner of Ronapainting Gallery

ronapainting gallery is new space that exhibits a large selection of pieces from paintings and sculptures to prints, photography and illustration.

Sarah Boada-Momtahan Co-Owner of Sanders of Oxford

Sanders of Oxford, situated in the 17th century Salutation Inn, is one of the largest printsellers in Britain.

Sarah Wiseman Owner of Sarah Wiseman Gallery

Situated in the heart of Summertown, Sarah Wiseman Gallery is a destination for contemporary art. The gallery is the place to start an art collection, or to nurture an established one.

Harriet Peacock Shop Manager at Shop at the Old Fire Station

Harriet curates a cheerful, cheeky and colourful lifestyle shop. The Shop at the Old Fire Station sells quirky, feelgood gifts including jewellery, homewares, textiles, prints and stationery.

Claire Andersson Owner of Skogen Kitchen

Skogen Kitchen is a  Scandinavian café nestled amongst the beautiful Oxford colleges in the heart of the city on King Edwards Street.

Steph Van De Pette Owner of SO Sustainable

SO Sustainable is an online and pop-up shop providing organic whole foods, household cleaning products and sustainable health and beauty alternatives.

Jane Campbell-Howard Co-Owner of Society Cafe

Society Café are an independent speciality coffee shop in the heart of Oxford city centre. Their focus is on making great coffee sourced directly from the best coffee producing farms in the world and roasted by the best roasters in the world.

Tess & Amy Taylor, Co-Owners of Tap Social Movement

Tap Social was opened in 2016 and is a craft brewery, coffee house and community space that provides training and employment to people serving and recently released from prison sentences.

Valeria Diederichs Owner of Team Tea

Team Tea was founded by a Tea Sommelier to banish boring brews. The team is passionate about real tea and showcasing the immense diversity that this single plant has to offer.

Phoebe Hall Co-Owner of The Edge Eatery

Inspired by their time in New Zealand, owners and chefs, Phoebe and Tom created The Edge Eatery to share their love of cooking and foodie ideas with their community.

Claire Gaskell Co-Owner of The Jam Factory

Restaurant, bar and gallery, The Jam Factory has become a safe haven for the food lovers and art enthusiasts of Oxford.

Ruth Dorso Co-Owner of The Jericho Cafe

Whether it’s excellent coffee you want, a full English breakfast, a light healthy lunch, tea and a (large!) slice of home-made cake, or a full evening meal after a film at the independent cinema across the street- they’ve got it covered.

Luciana Gyuricza Co-Owner of The Market Cellar Door

The Market Cellar Door is a tiny ‘Hybrid’ wine shop and wine bar in Oxford’s Covered Market. They sell over 200 wines from around the world, including organic, low intervention and English wines, alongside the classics.

Vicky Troth Co-Founder of The Missing Bean

The Missing Bean was founded by Ori and Vicky in 2009 to establish a speciality coffee scene in the heart of Oxford. After discovering the laid back espresso bars and cafés that they had grown to love, while studying in Australia, were non-existent in the city they decided to set up their own.

Kitty Tait Co-Owner of The Orange Bakery

Orange Bakery are a father and daughter bread bakery specialising in sourdough. Their mission is to make good bread available to the local community. Check out their shop on their local High Street in Watlington.

Ajaye & Alexa Hunn-Phillips Co-Owners of The Project PT

To put it simply The Project PT is just two personal trainers passionate about fitness, health and wellbeing. The Project PT provides coaching, classes and events to people in Oxford.

Deborah Humphrey Owner of The Wellbeing Story

The Wellbeing Story was founded by, coaching and words for wellbeing practitioner, Deborah Humphrey. With a love for creativity, stories and (most importantly) people, Deborah decided to create a business where wellbeing is key!

Ashley Cavers & Laura Snook Co-Owners of The Wonky Food Co

The Wonky Food Company was started in 2017 by a team of passionate foodies, committed to tackling food waste by creating great-tasting products that make use of imperfect and surplus fruit & veg.

Micaela Tuckwell Director of Ultimate Picture Palace

The Ultimate Picture Palace is Oxford’s oldest and only independent cinema. The cinema is run by a small team of film fanatics who pick the programme, screening only the best mainstream, indie, foreign-language, and documentary films, alongside a regular season of classics.

Renate Beaumont Owner of Vanilla

Established 20 years ago by Renate Beaumont, Renate loves to champion young designers and believes in supporting small, independent labels.

Lynne Davies-Craine Owner of Wandering To Wonder

Lynne is a coach and nature lover based in Abingdon, Oxfordshire. Lynne is passionate the we can all create lives that feel true to us, through knowing ourselves deeply and making decisions based on our intuition.

Sandra Ruge & Marie Lehri Co-Owners of Waste2Taste

Waste2Taste offer a bespoke catering service with a vision towards a vibrant, healthy and sustainable food culture, committed to packaging and food waste cuts.

Charlotte Renard Assistant Manager of Yellow Submarine Cafe

Often rated #1 for coffee and tea in Oxford by TripAdvisor, 70,000 customers each year visit the Yellow Submarine cafés because of the quality of the coffee & food.

Caroline Falce Gozzi Co-Founder of YogaVenue

Elle Murphy Manager of The Garden of Oxford

The Garden of Oxford was established in Oxford’s historic Covered Market in 1984 and has gained an enviable reputation for being one of the region’s finest flower shops.

Sarah Jordan Owner of YOU Underwear

Y.O.U underwear makes super-soft, stylish, organic cotton underwear for men and women that lets you look good, feel good and do good.

Victoria North & Brenda Rogers Co-Owners of Zest Podiatry & Physio

Zest Podiatry & Physio they offer all aspects of podiatry, and are experts in three key areas: verruca and warts, musculoskeletal and sports, and sore toes and nail surgery.

Indie Oxford Business Members

Emma Gascoigne Owner of Big Foot Communications

Big Foot Communications believes in bringing energy, enthusiasm and innovation to corporate and consumer communications.

Jacqui Thorndyke Owner of Bitten Digital

Rianna Low Owner of Jam Puppy Design Studio

Cassie Jane Fisher Owner of Maid In Media

No matter where you are in your social media journey, Cassie can provide you with all the tools you need to develop a clear strategy to propel your business forward to the next level.

Penny Tunnell Owner of Penny Tunnell Business Growth

Penny Tunnel is a pragmatic and experienced business development advisor and qualified executive coach.

Sarah Halliday Owner of Sarah Halliday Digital Services

Sarah Halliday helps small business owners promote their brands online through photography, videography, graphic design, animation and website design.

Women make up only a third of entrepreneurs in the UK and we’d love to see that increase. Through working together and building a strong and supportive community, we hope to encourage more women to start their own businesses in Oxfordshire, and reshape the business landscape for the better.