Happiness is...

First, the bad news. Foods of the World is the latest victim of Frome Empty Shop Syndrome. Following hard on the heels (or maybe that should be some other part of the anatomy) of the recently departed Opal Lingerie, FOTW’s offering of herbs, spices and North African pottery has also failed to stay afloat. As the Saxonvale debate rumbles on, the death of another independent retailer will only add fuel to the anti-big town centre supermarket feeling that is abroad amongst certain sections of the community.

The good news is that those people who still have jobs in retail seem to be quite happy with their lot. Shop workers here – in both the independents and the chains – are a darn sight more friendly than they are in London or Surrey. Why? The work is more or less the same wherever you are: customers come in, buy things (usually), pay (usually) and leave, deliveries are taken, shelves are stocked etc etc. It can only be something to do with the general ambience of this town. Measuring happiness is all the rage these days - my survey is entirely unscientific, but I would say that on the basis of a Friday afternoon shop, the quotient is pretty high around here. Another noticeable difference about the residents of Frome compared to Londoners is that they do not walk the streets with their eyes glued to their smart phones, texting and tweeting their lives away. Frome is far from a technology-free zone - The Garden Café and La Strada, for example, offer wi-fi and you will see customers in there sipping their lattes and using their laptops. But it’s as if tweetmania has passed it by. Is it possible that not being in thrall to your mobile also makes you a happier, more sociable human being?

http://gardencafefrome.co.uk

http://www.cafelastrada.co.uk