Help us find the best independent businesses in St Albans

Which local favourites deserve a place in the pack? Annelize and Judy are asking the people of St Albans to help shape the city’s very own playing cards.

The hunt is officially on for the brilliant independent businesses, much-loved landmarks and local favourites that will feature in the new St Albans Playing Cards.

Our local Leaders of the Pack, Annelize Fagan and Judy Mason, are busy exploring the city, meeting business owners and discovering the people and places that make St Albans so distinctive.

But they cannot create a pack that truly represents the city without the people who know it best.

That is where you come in.

Which St Albans businesses would you put in the pack?

Perhaps it is the independent shop where you always find the perfect present.

The café that remembers your order. The pub where everyone receives a warm welcome. The restaurant you recommend whenever somebody asks where to eat in St Albans.

It might be a local attraction, venue, maker or business with a fascinating story behind it.

We want to hear about the places you return to, tell your friends about and would genuinely miss if they disappeared.

The St Albans Playing Cards will celebrate far more than attractive buildings. Each card will help tell the story of a local business, place or organisation that contributes something special to the city.

So, which independent businesses in St Albans deserve to make the pack?

The Mayor gives the idea his seal of approval

Annelize and Judy recently welcomed local businesses to a preview evening, giving them the opportunity to discover how the St Albans pack will work and how they can become part of its story.

They were also joined by the Mayor of St Albans, who took a real interest in the idea and began considering which local story could be represented by a council-sponsored card.

“The St Albans Playing Cards are a creative way to celebrate the independent businesses, landmarks and stories that make our city so distinctive. It was a pleasure to meet Annelize and Judy and hear how they plan to involve the community in creating a pack that will encourage residents and visitors to discover even more of St Albans.”

Several playing cards have already been reserved, including two of the four highly sought-after Aces, but there are still plenty of opportunities for more brilliant St Albans businesses to get involved.

Creating a pack with the community

Ace Places playing cards are designed to feel as though they truly belong to the place they celebrate.

That means involving local people from the beginning, rather than disappearing behind closed doors and revealing a finished product several months later.

The community will be invited to follow the pack’s progress, suggest businesses and places for inclusion and help spread the word about the St Albans favourites they believe deserve greater recognition.

By the time the cards are launched, we want the people of St Albans to feel that they have helped create them.

A different way to discover St Albans

The finished pack will be a fully playable deck of cards, but it will also offer a new way to explore the city.

Every illustrated card will introduce people to somewhere worth discovering, from independent shops and places to eat in St Albans to local attractions, venues and businesses with an interesting story to share.

The cards will be created for local residents as much as visitors.

They will make a distinctive St Albans gift, encourage people to explore somewhere new and provide plenty of inspiration when deciding where to shop, eat, drink or spend time locally.

Most importantly, they will celebrate the independent businesses that give St Albans its personality.

Could the Charter Market take its place in the pack?

During the preview evening, the Mayor began looking for a suitable card that the council could support.

One idea under consideration is the St Albans Charter Market, which would make a colourful and instantly recognisable addition to the pack.

The card could feature the market stalls alongside one of the city’s familiar landmarks, celebrating the role the market plays in supporting traders and bringing people into the city centre.

In the existing Ace Places packs, Marlow Town Council sponsors the town’s Christmas lights switch-on card, while Henley Town Council sponsors the adventure golf card.

The aim would be to find an equally distinctive St Albans story that reflects the council’s connection with the city and its community.

Are you a St Albans business?

Annelize and Judy would also like to hear directly from independent business owners who believe they could bring something special to the pack.

Becoming part of the St Albans Playing Cards offers businesses the opportunity to:

• Have their story brought to life through a bespoke illustrated playing card.
• Become part of a collaborative marketing campaign for St Albans.
• Connect with other businesses featured within the pack.
• Reach local residents and visitors in a memorable and tangible way.
• Be involved in events, publicity and the build-up to the launch.

Ace Places is not about placing adverts on ordinary playing cards.

Each pack is thoughtfully designed to celebrate the area as a whole, with the businesses working together to create something people will want to own, give and use.

Nominate your favourite

Whether you live in St Albans, work locally or regularly visit the city, we would like to know which businesses and places you think should be considered.

Send us the name of your favourite, along with a few words about what makes it special.

Businesses are also invited to contact Annelize and Judy directly to find out more about becoming part of the pack.

Email annelizeandjudy@aceplaces.co.uk with your suggestions.

The St Albans Playing Cards will only be as strong as the local stories they contain.

So, deal us your favourites.

Who deserves a place in the pack?

Photo: From left, Emma Sweet, founder of Ace Places, Matt Fisher, the Mayor of St Albans, Judy Mason and Annelize Fagan, leaders of the packs for St Albans.