Inside the huts which house Stockport's tiniest shops - and tell the story of a changing town

Just across the road from Heaton Chapel train station lies a row of tiny independent shops, housed inside former coal merchant huts dating back to 1864. There’s a florist, a take-out coffee shop, a cake store, a vintage shop, and a local newspaper office selling homeware and gifts made by 30 local artists and businesses.

The first two huts, located on leafy Tatton Street in Stockport, are the original outbuildings, with wooden facades and bay windows. The florist - Mary's Flower Basket - has a wonky front door and a worn-down post outside that was once used to tie horses to.

The other three were erected in early 2020, built by a local builder who wanted to replicate the original disused huts that were damaged in an arson attack years earlier. Nick Harris, a former social care worker, transformed what was being used as the florist’s office into his little coffee hole; an ideal stopover for morning commuters.

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He had moved to the area and would visit the florist with his son, 9. Owner Maria, the daughter of the eponymous Mary, then offered him the 1.8m by 3.5m space next door, which he moved into in September 2018.

“Everything I’ve always wanted in my work life I’ve got from being here,” he says. “There’s a really big coffee community that’s really supportive and a lot of geeks in coffee.”

Nick always loved bar work, starting out in a bar when he was 16, and in the late ‘90s worked in Sheffield’s iconic The Leadmill nightclub. There, he met his best friend, who sparked his love of coffee.

“He got me into it,” Nick explains. “When I used to manage a homeless day centre, because I’m vegan, I didn’t used to eat, I just used to drink instant coffee to