The artist Sir Peter Blake is celebrating the men and women who run Britain’s small shops this weekend by releasing, for the first time, an artwork free online to herald Small Business Saturday on 6 December.
Blake, who is best known for his cover of famous 20th-century faces for the Beatles album Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, pays tribute to those he dubs “High Street Heroes”. His image features 61 shopkeepers with the tools of their trades from 40 businesses across Britain.
“Small shops and the great British shopkeeper have been at the forefront of British culture for hundreds of years now,” said Blake. “The notion of a ‘nation of shopkeepers’ is embedded in our folklore, and the wonderful variety of today’s independent shops – as well as the character that small businesses bring to a local area – make them an ideal subject matter for modern pop art. Having worked at a local butcher’s at the age of 13, I have also experienced the dedication and hard work that goes into running a small shop. For all these reasons, I am thrilled to lend my support to a campaign that champions small businesses.” The work is sponsored by American Express. For more information, go to amexshopsmall.co.uk.
This week, Blake’s archive of wood-engravings inspired by the circus will also go on display in Side Show, an exhibition at the Paul Stolper Gallery, 31 Museum Street, London WC1.
The shopkeepers and shops featured in Sir Peter Blake’s High Street Heroes (from back to front, left to right)
1. Nasir Hussain, Islam Hussain, Tahir Hussain, Zakir Hussain, Hussain Hussain, Mahin Hussain from Mogul Indian Restaurant, Bagshot, Surrey
2. Eileen Foxwell from Home and Colonial Antiques, Berkhamsted, Herfordshire
3. Matthew Leedam from Leedams’ Pharmacy, Colne, Lancashire
4. Beverley Davidson from Deli a GoGo, delicatessen, Whitchurch, Cardiff
5. Jim Key from RARE, restaurant, Leeds
6. Richard McDonald from Melanie Richard’s Hair Boutique, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire
7. Peter de la Mare, Becky Mills from England at Home, home wares, Brighton, East Sussex
8. Reece Gayler, Karen Gayler, Curtis Gayler from Dockerills, hardware shop, Brighton
9. Genevieve Schiffenhaus, Merlin Jones from General Store, grocery shop, Peckham, south London
10. David Jackson from Bears on the Square, teddy bear shop, Ironbridge, Shropshire
11. James Foulds from Foulds Music, Derby
12. Surinder Jheeta from Beejays, newsagent, Oxshott, Surrey
13. Kaylie Urwin from Flawless Jewellery, Westerham, Kent
14. David Braithwaite from Flowers By McDowell, florist, Edinburgh
15. Olivia Brewer, Nik Blake from Found clothes and accessories, Bath
16. Kenny Walker from Chocolate Fayre, chocolatiers, Barnard Castle, County Durham
17. George Payne from George Payne Butchers, Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne
18. Ian Bell from Ukai Sushi, restaurant, London
19. Andrew Imrie from KWM Wines & Spirits, Kilkeel, County Down
20. Victoria Farley from Lanercost Tea Room, Brampton, Cumbria
21. Jon Moore from Mumbles Fine Wines, Mumbles, Swansea
22. Ludovic Piot from Epicerie Ludo, delicatessen, Chorlton, Manchester
23. Mark Burgess from Flashback Records, Islington, north London
24. Ahmed Sidki, Catherine Butler from At the Chapel, restaurant, Bruton, Somerset
25. Paul Goldthorpe from Anthony Goldthorpe Shoes, Hull
26. Babette Kulik from The Society Club, bookshop, Soho, London
27. AJ Harwood, Natasha Gordon from Jerk City, restaurant, Soho, London
28. Carol Evenden from Duffill’s, greengrocers, Cottingham, East Yorkshire
29. Claire Tymoshyshyn, Hannah Davis, Kitty Newbury from Angel Food Bakery, Brighton
30. Janet McKenna, Natalie Coleman, Helen Hanson from Brides by Natalie, wedding dress shop, West Derby, Liverpool
31. Honey Bowdrey, Jasmine Guinness from Honeyjam, toyshop, Notting Hill, west London
32. Adam Simmonds, optician, Primrose Hill, north London
33. Deryane Tadd from The Dressing Room, fashion boutique, St Albans, Hertfordshire
34. Lynda Williams, Gary Whitby from the Bear and Ragged Staff, public house, Bransford, Worcestershire
35. Nick Bryant from Fish at 85, fishmonger, Cardiff
36. Mark Thorne, Ruth Jeffery from IJ Mellis, cheesemonger, Edinburgh
37. John Clement, Kirsty Randall from Oliver’s, fish and chip shop, Basingstoke, Hampshire
38. Amit Lodhia, Kalpna Lodhia from Bellina Chocolate House, chocolatiers, Cambridge
39. Nic Bottomley from Mr B’s Emporium of Reading Delights, bookshop, Bath
40. Kirstie Davey from Grace & Mabel, fashion boutique, Clifton, Bristol
The shopkeepers featured in the artwork were selected from thousands of small businesses taking part in Small Business Saturday. Sir Peter Blake’s High Street Heroes can be downloaded for free from amexshopsmall.co.uk until 6 December 2014.
