Swindon part of world’s top 500 hipster places list

The humble southwestern town of Swindon has been included in the top 500 hipster towns and cities worldwide as a hotspot for spotting well-kept beards, plaid shirts and shiny fixed gear bicycles. A hipster is commonly known as someone who loves to stay up to date with cool emerging trends. The further away from the mainstream the better for these guys and girls. They can typically be spotted hanging out in pop-up bars with exposed brickwork serving craft ales, drinking coffee in trendy cafés or Instagramming their smashed avocado on toast whilst brunching with their friends. They aren’t too interested in the day to day mundane of common culture, preferring to opt for “indie” (independent) or “alt” (alternative) options when it comes to where they shop and what businesses they support. The website Move Homes, who curated the list, placed Swindon 320^thout of 500 towns and cities worldwide. However, it was the seaside resort town of Brighton that claimed the podium spot beating the likes of London, Seoul and even grunge capital Seattle. To pit each place against the other; Move Homes gave every location a rating based on the things hipsters love the most. So, the greater number of record stores, tattoo parlours, vintage clothing shops and cool eating places a location has, the higher the score. Joanna Nix via Unsplash Veganism is a hot topic right now and Swindon’s growing plant-based eating scene played a significant role in helping boost its hipster-ness. Moving into 2018, the lifestyle was set to be the biggest eating trend of the year, driven by a demand from health-conscious millennials and budding young business owners and chefs. Breaking into the New Year, more than 168,500 people in the UK signed up to take the Veganuary pledge, marking a growth of 183% in relation to the previous year. Due to the Instagram generation’s peak interest in sharing pictures of their food just as much as eating it; plant-based chefs are finding new ways to feed them beyond the mundane stereotypical lentil stews and odd chickpea curry. Nowadays vegan hipsters can be spotted about town chowing down on plant-based bean burgers, dairy-free “nice-cream” or sipping frothy cappuccinos with creamy oat milk. Not before they grab a picture on their iPhone, though. However, Swindon’s meat-free trendies don’t even have to go as far as leaving the house to feed their hunger, as online food delivery services such as Deliveroo even work with the best vegan restaurants – as well as vegetarian and gluten-free restaurants too. Source: Alexandra Andersson via Unsplash So, what does all this mean for the town? As prices of rent rise in the bigger cities, smaller independent businesses and micro-ventures are heading to places like Swindon to set up shop. With them, their young and excitable clientele typically follow; who in turn help to build a certain youthful buzz within their new environment. Also, with new budding businesses consistently popping up, hipster or not there are now places beyond chain pubs and big supermarkets for locals to enjoy. Therefore, as the choices where shoppers can grab a coffee or residents can buy their fresh bread in a morning rises, so will the buzz around supporting local ventures.