South Manchester shop, The Curious Fox, has featured in a Christmas advert seen by more than six million Channel 4 viewers last weekend.
Located on Chorlton’s Beech Road and described by owners Stewart Hutcheon and David Dodsworth as “unique and independent as you can get”, the shop boasts an eye-catching Christmas window decked with peacocks and traditional festive trappings. Opulent curtains part to reveal an interior styled as a contemporary interpretation of Ye Olde Curiosity Shop.
The independent nature of the shop is what inspired Visa to offer The Curious Fox a starring role in their advert – ‘Where Your Shop Matters’ – which features 13 local businesses up and down the country. The campaign is aimed at encouraging people to choose local stores over chains for their Christmas shopping.
“The premise of the advert is something we feel very strongly about,” Stewart told the Manchester Evening News.
Specialising in “antiques with a modern twist”, The Curious Fox opened just 18 months ago in Chorlton’s popular shopping zone. The owners hope their “quirky personal taste will inspire others”, saying “we want to take shopping back to its heart of being a personal and pleasurable experience.
“Shopping should be memorable too – taking it away from the impersonal nature of online shopping and back to what matters, making connections with people. That’s why we don’t have an online presence – we want to meet people face to face and help them in their shopping experience.”
Stewart and David appear in the advert as they are dressing the shop’s festive window in front of an appreciative crowd of onlookers. Stewart described being inspired by the beautiful window displays they saw during a Christmas trip to Germany, which convinced them to follow their independent retailing dream.
Recent research found that seven out of ten consumers believe that shopping locally makes them feel happy, which David believes is what helps the business community on Beech Road to thrive. “We really hope that when the advert airs, more people will return to shopping traditionally in their local community and actually experience shopping the way it used to be.
