Hay-on-Wye, a market town in Powys, Wales, is thriving with independent shops and over 20 bookshops, according to locals. The town, home to just 1,700 people, is best known for its annual literature and arts festival, which attracts 150,000 visitors over 11 days each spring. Throughout the year, dozens of independent bookstores and businesses fill the streets, creating a vibrant high street that bucks the national trend of empty retail spaces.
Local Businesses Thrive Without Large Chains
Tom Sutherland, owner of Tom's Records, a local record shop, said the town is not large enough for big chains to move in. He told the Express: "People like Waitrose have looked into opening here and say it's not worthwhile. Other towns are homogenised, everyone's got a strip mall full of the same brands. People are sick of brands; they want individuality, and Hay has got a good reputation for that." He added: "We thrive because this is a town known for its culture, with all the galleries and bookshops. My record shop runs on the kind of people who want to come here."
Cultural and Natural Appeal
Sutherland emphasised the town's appeal: "It's a great place to visit - its beauty is its main appeal, but it's also got lots of culture and nature. You don't feel like you're in England anymore, you're in the Welsh mountains." He believes the town's small businesses just need to "keep doing what we're doing and make sure Hay stays a good place to visit."
Author Credits Richard Booth for Town's Success
Kitty Corrigan, an author who moved to Hay 13 years ago after living in London for 34 years, said that when "doomsayers" predicted the end of the bookshop and the physical book, "Hay proved them wrong." She credited Richard Booth, who created the world's first 'Town of Books' in 1962, with saving Hay from decline. The Hay Festival of Literature and the Arts, which began in 1987, was a natural evolution. She said: "They draw many thousands to the town each year, and while here, they experience all the other highlights."
Independent Stores and Historic Attractions
Corrigan described the high street: "All our stores are independent (there are no supermarkets) and include vintage and antiques, art galleries, quirky cafes and a weekly market stretching back 700 years. It's a base for cyclists, walkers, horse-riders and water sports enthusiasts. And we have a castle. Built by the Normans 900 years ago, it was later the home of Richard Booth, the self-styled King of Hay, until it was renovated and opened to the public for the first time three years ago."
