10 Charming Small, Independent Monmouth Shops & Businesses

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In the final blog post I’m sharing as part of my partnership with Visit Monmouthshire to promote Monmouthshire’s Shop Local campaign, join me on a festive trip to Monmouth, shopping locally at small, independent shops and businesses in the run-up to Christmas.

Located where the River Monnow meets the River Wye in the idyllic Wye Valley in Monmouthshire, Monmouth has been a centre for tourism since the 18th century.

Home to the oldest theatre site in Wales, The Savoy Theatre, this quaint market town also boasts its own Georgian Shire Hall and an iconic 13th century gatehouse bridge.

What’s Monmouth famous for?

Straddling the River Monnow, the aforementioned 13th century gatehouse bridge is almost synonymous with Monmouth, and has no doubt been the inspiration for many a postcard and painting of Monmouth over the years.

However, Monnow Bridge isn’t the only thing that Monmouth is famous for. Besides being home to the historical Savoy Theatre, Monmouth was also the birthplace of Henry V, who was born in Monmouth Castle, as well as having connections to British cleric/monk, Geoffrey of Monmouth.

Having had to cancel a festive trip to London this weekend over concerns around the new variant, I’m so thankful to have the opportunity to buy so many of my Christmas presents from small, independent Welsh businesses this Christmas.

Working with Visit Monmouthshire to showcase Monmouthshire’s ‘Shop Local, Shop Monmouthshire’ campaign, I’ve spent time in the five different towns that make up the county, getting to know the faces behind some of the most popular independent local shops, cafes, restaurants and small businesses in each.

Check out my blog posts on Usk, Abergavenny, Caldicot and Chepstow to see what I’ve been getting up to so far.

10 small, independent Monmouth shops & businesses to consider for last-minute Christmas gifts

Home to a broad choice of independent shops, businesses, cafes and restaurants, Monmouth is a wonderful destination for shopping local and supporting small businesses, both throughout Christmas and all year-round.

Visiting Monmouth on a mid-December afternoon, I spent a few hours browsing the independent shops and businesses in the town centre for last-minute Christmas gifts and festive foodie treats, before checking out the independent traders at the late night shopping event and market around White Swan Court and Church Street.

Join me on my journey and discover ten charming independent, local businesses to support in Monmouth, both this Christmas and throughout next year too.

Fingal-Rock – Monnow Street, Monmouth

My first stop is Fingal-Rock, an independent wine merchant located at 64 Monnow Street, owned by Tom Innes.

A former barrister, Tom opened Fingal-Rock in 1987, originally as a food shop selling a variety of cheeses. In 2003, he decided to start focusing solely on wine, with Burgundy wine being the specialty, although Tom also stocks an impressive selection of wines from other countries and regions.

Not only does Fingal Rock have an excellent reputation as one of the longest-running independent Monmouth shops, but Tom has also built up quite the reputation elsewhere in the UK, too; just take a look at what The Telegraph had to say about him.

Fingal-Rock also sell a range of locally sourced wines, spirits, ales and ciders, including Silver Circle Distillery’s Wye Valley Gin, White Castle Vineyard’s range of wines (produced in nearby Llanvetherine, near Abergavenny) and Apple Country Cider Co., based in Newcastle, Monmouth.

It’s a wonderful place to go to stock up on locally, independently sourced festive tipple, or pick up a few last-minute Christmas gifts.

Marches Delicatessen – Monnow Street, Monmouth

Every little town needs a good delicatessen. It’s always a wonderful place to go when you’re on the hunt for artisanal produce; a step-up from the usual fare you’ll find on supermarket shelves, and a haven for locally and independently sourced produce.

Based within Chippenham House on Monnow Street, The Marches Delicatessen built up a sterling reputation in the foodie capital of Abergavenny, Monmouthshire before owner, Tom Lewis decided to relocate the business to Monmouth around five and a half years ago.

The deli stocks an array of fine food and drink produce, from chutneys, jams and pickles to beer, wines and spirits, with iconic local names like Monmouth Gin, Silver Circle Distillery, Little Welsh including one of the best-stocked cheese fridges I’ve seen in a deli. Tom sources all of his produce from Monmouthshire, the rest of Wales and surrounding counties.

After stocking up on Trealy Farm Charcuterie for all those upcoming Christmas cheese boards, I admired the courtyard garden, picturing myself returning in the summer to bask in the sunshine, before popping into the coffee shop for a quick refuel.

I loved my berry traybake; a moist, fluffy sponge dotted with gooey berries, washed down with a robust flat white. If you’ve got a larger appetite, opt for a seasonal lunch or savoury snack instead.

MonTeas – Monnow Street, Monmouth

The next shop on my itinerary really sounds like just my cup of tea!

Run by David J. Tovey, MonTeas of Monmouth is an independent tea retailer offering over 80 fine loose leaf teas, over 20 herbal infusions, a fascinating variety of teapots, and tea-making accessories.

Tea enthusiasts can choose from the finest single estate White, Yellow, Green, Oolong, Black and Pu-erh teas from producers all over the globe, in countries such as Africa, China, India, Japan, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

I took a bag of organic Caribbean Pear green loose leaf tea home with me. Laced with mango cubes (mango sugar), pineapple and rosebuds, this easy-drinking tea has an intense pear flavour; while I’m not usually overly keen on green tea, I can easily drink a few cups of this!

Alongside loose leaf tes, MonTeas stocks an eye-catching range of tea paraphernalia including stunning cast iron, glass and ceramic teapots, with some models imported from Japan.

These old Pu-erh tea pies and tea bricks really caught my eye.

A variety of fermented tea traditionally produced in the Yunnan province of China, Pu-erh tea is one of the six key tea groups. Traditionally, it’s formed into a round pie, like the tea pie you can see towards the back of the photo below.

Pu-erh tea is also available in a rectangular or square tea brick, At two decades old, a tea brick like the one shown below would cost around £200 to 700. According to David, they’re also kept for several decades and longer, at which point they’d be worth several thousands, to tens of thousands of pounds, each.

In many cases, though, the tea bricks with patterns pressed into them wouldn’t actually be used to brew tea, but rather used as currency and exchanged in return for various goods.

A more convenient way of drinking Pu-erh tea is to brew the little pellets or ‘balls’ you can see in the top left of the photo below; David’s given me some of these to try out and I can’t wait to give them a go; apparently, Pu-erh tea works wonders for headaches and it’s great for your heart, too.

MonTeas of Monmouth opened in 2012, and David will be celebrating 10 years at 111 Monnow Street, Monmouth next year.

Why not pop in next time you’re in Monmouth and let him recommend a new brew for you to try?

Salt and Pepper – Monnow Street, Monmouth

If there was an award for the most festive shop window in Monmouth, it would have to go to Salt and Pepper, whose gift shop window display is looking especially Christmassy this year.

Opened almost 22 years ago, the shop has grown from strength-to-strength over the years. Today, it’s not just one single shop, but a collection of four different shops spread across 31-33 Monnow Street.

Run by Cath Elsmore and her mother, Brenda Elsmore, Salt and Pepper houses a cook shop, a coffee house and cafe, a toy shop, a clothing shop and a gift shop.

The cook shop is a culinary paradise, crammed with everything from cookware and crockery, to electrical appliances, and the most extensive selection of bakeware and baking equipment I’ve ever seen in my life.

If you’ve got any last minute Christmas gifts or decorations left to purchase, you could probably find just about everything you could possibly hope for here, all under one roof!

Bees For Development

Did you know Monmouth is the UK’s first ‘bee town’? The town was awarded the accolade on World Bee Day last year, largely owing to the work of a Monmouth-based independent charity and gift shop with sustainable bee-keeping at its heart.

The charity hosts a bee festival in Monmouth every year, with this year’s event attracting around 3,500 people.

Just a short walk from Monnow Street, past Monmouth’s historic Shire Hall and just off Agincourt Square, Agincourt Street is home to Bees For Development. This adorable little shop sells a range of sustainable bee produce, made both locally, and by beekeepers as far afield as Uganda, Ghana, Ethiopia, Asia and the Middle East.

I particularly liked these beautiful natural beeswax Christmas tree candles. Handmade in Monmouth using pure beeswax from Uganda, they look almost too pretty to light!

I spotted lots of local favourites here too, like Wye Valley Meadery and Afon Mel.

The Bees for Development gift shop supports the charity’s wider work with bees and beekeepers in the world’s poorest nations in showing people how to keep bees, market their produce and generate a sustainable income to alleviate worldwide poverty.

The Bloom Room – White Swan Court, Monmouth

Tucked away from the hustle and bustle of Monmouth town centre at 7 White Swan Court, The Bloom Room is an independent florist run by Lottie Dixon.

The shop offers a variety of fresh, seasonal bouquets and floral arrangements for special occasions and events, including weddings, birthdays and anniversaries.

For Christmas this year, Lottie is stocking everything from colourful carnations, to festive bouquets, wreaths, mistletoe and table centrepieces.

I’m sure you’ll agree, The Bloom Room is looking very festive indeed!

Granny Brown’s of Monmouth – White Swan Court, Monmouth

Almost opposite The Bloom Room, you’ll find a traditional sweet shop named Granny Brown’s of Monmouth, based at 8 White Swan Court.

Run by Karin Papps, this quirky little place sells sweets by the jar and pick n’ mix, alongside other sweet treats like luxury chocolates and traditional fudge.

A community-focused business, throughout lockdown, Karin sent treat parcels to local doctors’ surgeries, refuse collectors, Royal Mail sorting office staff, paramedics, and various call centre staff from across Monmouthshire.

After checking out some of the best independent Monmouth shops, I took a stroll along Church Street to visit some of the independent traders selling their produce as part of Monmouth’s late night Christmas shopping event.

Tyler’s Aromatherapy

I loved Tyler Aromatherapy’s range of festive scented candles, and their massage candles would make for a truly thoughtful gift for that special someone this Christmas.

Monmouth Gin

It was great to have the opportunity to try the locally produced Monmouth Gin, available as both a London Dry Gin and a Pink Gin.

Monmouth Gin is available at a number of independent stockists throughout Monmouth and surrounding areas, including Marches Deli, as well as via the Monmouth Gin website.

Caroline J. Davies

It was also lovely to chat to studio potter, Caroline J. Davies and to see her unique range of hand-crafted pottery, including these dainty little jugs and pots.

I’ve had a really great time exploring Monmouth and getting to know some of the most unique independent shops and businesses in the town.

Although this concludes my series of blog posts in partnership with Visit Monmouthshire, I know I’ll enjoy spending more time exploring all that Usk, Abergavenny, Chepstow, Caldicot and Monmouth have to offer, throughout next year and beyond. After all, small businesses need our support all year-round, and not just at Christmas time!

Have you ever been to Monmouth? I hope I’ve inspired you to explore the independent Monmouth shops and businesses, if you ever find yourself visiting the town!

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