We Love Skipton: Live Well – A Hidden Gem for Vegans and Vegetarians

skipton vegan shop

Live Well, Unit 2 Devonshire Place, Skipton BD23 2LR

Tucked away in Devonshire Place, Live Well is one of Skipton’s newest openings. Owned and managed by 28 year-old, Harry Thompson, it’s a welcome addition to the town’s excellent array of independent shops. With a growing Vegan and Vegetarian community and few places to source specialist products in Skipton, Live Well has already gained rave reviews and a considerable number of returning customers.

When asked why he chose to open his new business in this historic market town, Harry said: “I recently moved closer to Skipton and just loved the vibe around the town. There wasn’t anything like what I am doing in or around Skipton so there was certainly a gap in the market. The people here are lovely and everyone has been amazing with me since I have opened.

vegan shop in skipton

Harry, who previously spent 10 years working in Digital Marketing and Business Development, has always tried to lead an active lifestyle but often struggled to complement this with a good quality healthy diet.

“I struggled to navigate the minefield of “food” and that was the reason for starting Live Well
I was a flexitarian for years whilst eating predominantly plant based meals but then decided to fully commit to the plant based and vegan lifestye. I felt so much healthier and better for it! I believe a lot more people are wanting to change their eating habits but not radicalise them. I want the business to help anyone wanting to change their eating habits.”

vegan shop in skipton

As most vegans and vegetarians will surely agree, it can be difficult to find a good selection of products all in one place. Most shops only stock a limited range of vegan and vegetarian-friendly foods and even those can be far from nutritious.

“If you go to a supermarket, not everything is vegan-friendly and in some cases it’s full of rubbish that does nothing for you or your body. With the shop, I wanted to create an environment that is safe for people of all dietary requirements to shop in and stocks only good quality items”

” Some of my favourite products are our cheeses, chocolates and meat alternatives. The cheeses particularly, because everything I have had from the supermarket is so rubbery whilst the range we have in tastes amazing.

I also love our chocolate range because we have some really exotic flavours like Gin Fizz, Ginger Ale and Maca and Spirulina. These have gone down really well with customers. The Sgaia range of meat alternatives we have amazing too and can’t really be found anywhere else. I fry one of the steaks in soya sauce and top it with some of the vegan red leicester on a bun with salad so I end up with completely vegan steak and cheese burger that tastes amazing!”

Starting a new business in a place that is quite unfamiliar to you can be a daunting experience to say the least. Thankfully, the good people of Skipton have been incredibly welcoming and other independent business owners in Skipton have been a tremendous support to their new entrepreneur.

“Everyone who has popped into the shop has been amazing. Many people have struggled to find the shop because it is hidden away a little bit but the people who have been in and purchased, have loved the products we offer and made various stock recommendations. I have loved all the feedback I have received from people because. It is this feedback that will help me to grow and develop the shop and business. It really is a fantastic community – everyone seems to want to help each other out and I haven’t really had before.”

“I’ll certainly be returning the favour to my fellow independents by making sure I purchase their products and use their services when I need them. We have some excellent businesses here in Skipton, including Dean Majors AKA The Backman, No.1 Tea Room and Discount Sports Skipton.”

vegan shop in skipton

Here’s what customers have had to say about Live Well, Skipton:

” A really good selection of products to choose from and fab service – would highly recommend. Proves you can still enjoy great food whilst being more conscious of the impact the food you eat has on your health and the environment.

” We used the Thai red curry sauce for our dinner last night and it was delicious!!!! So healthy too. Can’t wait to buy some more.”

If you can’t get over to Skipton to browse Harry’s shop, you can also place on order online and have some of the great products from Live Well delivered to your home. Check out the Live Well website HERE.

This article is part of our “We Love Skipton” campaign, launched to highlight the importance of supporting local independent businesses and highlight some of the wonderful places to shop, eat and drink in Skipton, North Yorkshire.

Keep your eyes peeled for our “We Love Skipton” Facebook competition, in which you will get the chance to win a hamper full of goodies from some of Skipton’s favourite independent businesses.

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