Maybe I Just Wanted to Be a Shopkeeper
There’s a strange assumption I keep bumping into from some business voices in the retail world. Former consultants. Industry insiders. Ex-corporate “experts” with glossy profiles and big opinions. They all seem to come from outside the day-to-day realities of indie retail.
And the assumption goes like this:
That every independent shopkeeper wants to scale.
That we all secretly dream of becoming the CEO of a retail chain.
That success means turning our little shop into a brand empire, with multiple locations, a team of dozens, and a head office with a great big desk and a spinny chair.
Now, maybe some shopkeepers do want that.
Maybe plenty do.
But I don’t.
And maybe you don’t either.
Because maybe, just maybe, you opened your shop because you actually wanted to be a shopkeeper.
Not a manager of managers.
Not the head of HR and legal and payroll.
Not someone endlessly caught up in meetings and systems and spreadsheets.
Just someone who wants to create a beautiful space, curate great products, connect with customers and bring something meaningful to life every day.
The funny thing is, when you talk like this, people sometimes assume you’re lacking ambition.
As if choosing to stay small is a failure of vision.
As if being content on the shop floor means you don’t understand strategy.
As if loving your shop means you don’t want to grow.
But here’s the truth:
Running one good shop well - profitably, sustainably, joyfully - is actually a massive undertaking. And a beautiful dream.
In today’s challenging world, especially so.
In fact, it might be one of the most radical things you can do in a culture obsessed with “scaling.”
Personally, I love sourcing great products.
I love curating beautiful collections.
I love creating inspiring displays.
I love being on the shop floor and getting a feel for what’s working.
I LOVE the whole craft of shopkeeping.
I love the fact that I can have a great idea over breakfast and make it happen by tea-time. I love the fact that I don’t have to get “stakeholder buy-in” from a cast of thousands who all have an opinion and a determination to voice it..
I don’t want to spend my life in a far-removed office while other people do the bits I love. Because for me, that’s not the dream - that’s the trap.
If I wanted to manage layers of staff and miss out on all the joy of retailing, I could have just got a job in corporate. With holiday pay. And a pension.
In fact, I almost did. But, luckily, I dodged that bullet.
So if you’ve ever felt quietly guilty for not “growing bigger” or “acting like a CEO” you can let that go.
If you love your shop, and you’re proud of what you’ve built, and you want to keep it small but brilliant - that’s more than enough.
You don’t have to expand.
You don’t have to scale.
You don’t have to be anyone’s idea of successful except your own.
Maybe you just wanted to be a shopkeeper.
And maybe that’s exactly what you’re meant to be.
🛠️ Want to make it a little easier?
Running a shop like this - with heart, integrity, and a lot on your shoulders - is no small thing.
That’s why I created The Shopkeeper Journal: to share what I’ve learned, what’s working, and what makes this life a little simpler, smarter, and more sustainable.
It’s about helping every independent shop work better for every shopkeeper.
If that sounds like your kind of support, you’re welcome to join us, all you have to do is click subscribe.
