Shepton Mallet exudes a strong sense of community spirit. At the heart of the town, the bustling market place welcomes visitors with small gestures like a crate of free apples and bananas for children, placed outside The Little Farm Shed—a cherished local business. What started as children delivering eggs to neighbours to raise money for Glastonbury Festival has blossomed into a thriving, family-run enterprise sustained by loyal local support.
The town also boasts a community-run bookshop stocked entirely with donated titles, and just a short walk from the market place lies the dormant Amulet Theatre—an old arthouse cinema that the town dreams of restoring through fundraising initiatives.
In an era when struggling High Streets have become all too common, Shepton Mallet is defying the odds. Dan, 47, director of Interim Spaces, is at the forefront of this revitalization. Originally from New Zealand, Dan spent 18 years in London working on business ventures before recognizing that a smaller town offered greater potential for meaningful impact. The lockdown period revealed an important truth for him: working from home meant he didn’t need the vast, impersonal scale of London.
READ MORE: Somerset Funeral Notices: Heartfelt Tributes to 34 Cherished Lives
READ MORE: Somerset’s Top Lifestyle Businesses Honoured at Muddy Stilettos Awards 2025
Interim Spaces provides a simple but powerful solution. Local entrepreneurs with promising business ideas apply for a grant, and the winners receive nine months of rent-free and bill-free retail space, combined with mentorship and support. This approach gives fledgling businesses the chance to thrive amid soaring commercial rents that have forced many High Street shops to close.
Local lampshade maker Laura, 40, who supplies The Artistry—an arts and crafts shop recently supported by Interim Spaces—believes Shepton Mallet is bursting with potential. “The impact we can have here is far greater than in a big city like London,” she says. A former academic lecturer in Bath, Laura swapped the lecture hall for lampshade workshops, driven by her curiosity about crafting these simple yet transformative home décor pieces.
Another success story is Ami, 34, who opened The Black Thistle plant shop on Market Square with the help of the grant. A transplant from the bustling city of Bristol, Ami describes winning the grant as “so exciting” and praises the overwhelming support of the Shepton Mallet community.
Together, these stories illustrate Shepton Mallet’s inspiring mission to boost small businesses and rejuvenate its High Street. Here, charm and community are proving that egg rounds can evolve into farm shops, academics can embrace new crafts, and the traditional High Street can flourish well into 2025 and beyond.