The volume of the Shop Local cry has been turned up to eleven during the pandemic and when non essential retail has now open again there is going to be an even bigger push towards supporting local businesses.

Ayrshire Connect is not here to take over the many local campaigns supporting town centres but to work with them to grow footfall across the county as a whole.

In building this database of retailers everyone involved in curating the content has been blown away by the diversity of small specialist retail and crafts available in every corner of the county. There are businesses that many had never heard of and during the quick Christmas campaign it was clear that there is no shortage of unique retail outlets in Ayrshire - we just have to connect them with the customer!

So yes this is in some ways a call to shop local but not for the sake of it but because there is so much that is unique to be found. Please use the search, have a look at the towns and when on the mobile visiting a town try the Google map and walk through a new door or two - those owners will be more than welcoming and you may be surprised with what you can find outside of the cities and retail parks.

Click on the Shop menu item above and taking a virtual stroll round the shops of Ayrshire alternatively if you know the name of the business you re looking for use the site search function below.