We Mean Business: Quirky gift shop owner shares ‘incredibly tough’ start to 2026 with ‘sleepless nights’
The owner of two quirky gift shops has shared the “incredibly tough” start to 2026 that she has experienced, with “sleepless nights” worrying about how to survive.
Launched last week, the Chronicle & Echo’s new campaign hopes to help curb future business closures after a bleak start to 2026 across the town.
The twice-weekly stories spotlight what Northampton stands to lose if your favourite businesses were to close down, highlight the biggest challenges they currently face, and encourage greater support from the powers that be and the community before it is too late.
In the third instalment of We Mean Business, Lindsey Scott-Walker from Feather Robins Gifts spoke to this newspaper. She established the business in St Crispin Retail Village in September 2022 in the hope of becoming a one stop shop for all customers’ gifting needs.
A year and eight months on from launching Feather Robins, Lindsey opened a second store in Weston Favell Shopping Centre in May 2024.
However, the founder made the sad decision to close her original shop in March 2025 due to a massive increase in costs and a decrease in footfall.
Lindsey stands by that decision and as the dust settled, Feather Robins Gifts secured a new shop in Sheaf Street, Daventry and the doors opened in October 2025.
Let’s take a look at what Lindsey had to say…
How would you summarise your experience of running an independent business in Northampton at the moment?
“There’s been a massive decline in January,” said Lindsey. “I’ve had to ask for more time to pay suppliers and I’ve never had that before.
“It’s incredibly tough, sleepless-nights-tough, and Daventry is a fair weather shop. Because it’s not under cover, no one comes out if the weather is bad.”
What are the biggest challenges you currently face as a business owner, and what impact do these have on the daily running of your venture?
Lindsey said the biggest challenge has been trying to spread the word about Feather Robins Gifts far and wide, which she describes as a “constant social media slog”.
“We have to keep reminding people we’re here and people said they forgot about us over Christmas,” said Lindsey. “When it comes to birthdays, anniversaries and weddings, please think of us.
“Costs are rising, particularly electricity bills over the winter. We choose to put on an extra jumper over putting the heating up. If business rates are due to go up, that would cripple us.”
What do you believe Northampton stands to lose if your business were to close down? What unique offerings do you bring to the town that would be sorely missed?
Lindsey said: “We are a unique gift shop and everything is slightly different, so you can always come in and get something you’d perhaps not seen before. We are known for sentimental and heartfelt gifts, and that little something extra.”
What small actions can our readers and the Northampton community take to support your business in 2026?
“A visit would be great and word of mouth is fantastic,” said Lindsey. “Give us a like or share on social media or even leave us a review. I’m normally glass half full and bubbly but this has taken the wind out of my sails.
“We’ve already had dates through for events in Daventry and people were queuing to get into the shop when Daventry Christmas market was on. I don’t see anything like this from West Northamptonshire Council or Weston Favell Shopping Centre.”
West Northamptonshire Council and Weston Favell Shopping Centre were approached for comment by the Chronicle & Echo.
Both were asked to share what events are being hosted throughout the year that will support their business communities, whether residents can expect to see any markets from both throughout the year, and if there is anything else they are putting on to benefit the business community throughout 2026. WNC is yet to issue a response.
Weston Favell Shopping Centre shared it will be hosting a variety of free events designed to increase footfall and encourage customers to spend more in the centre, directly benefiting businesses. The hope is that it encourages spending on food, gifts and retail purchases, rather than paying for the entertainment.
This includes events for Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, World Book Day, Easter, Father’s Day, the World Cup, a four-week summer programme, Halloween and Christmas – with the latter being their largest of the year.
Favell Fun Club also enables families to bring their children to enjoy a fun and supervised play space during peak shopping periods at points throughout the year.
In 2025, Weston Favell Shopping Centre worked in partnership with the Hope Centre to host a community market on its premises. This brought together a number of small, independent traders in one dedicated area and proved a success with shoppers and traders.
The plan is to host another community market in 2026 and the team is open to continuing discussions around similar market-style events that support independent traders and drive additional footfall into the centre.