What a morning! On Friday 11 September, we celebrated 45 years of Wild Oats with customers, friends and members of our Bristol community, and we'd like to say a huge thank you to everyone who joined us.
Since opening our doors in 1981, so much has changed, but Wild Oats has always been about more than what's on our shelves. Friday was a lovely reminder of the community that has grown around the shop over the past four and a half decades.
Celebrating with our Bristol community
It was particularly special to hear just how long Wild Oats has been part of some people's lives. Thank you to everyone who stopped to chat, shared a memory or simply came along to wish us a happy birthday. See if you can spot yourself in some of the photos from the morning!
A very special birthday morning
For the celebration, we teamed up with two brilliant local bakeries. Everest Bread created a wonderful selection of vegan bakes, while The Great Cake Company brought along an incredible spread of gluten-free cakes, bakes and savouries.
The first 45 customers spending £10 at the bakery stall also received one of our limited edition 45th anniversary organic tote bags and a coffee on us. The totes certainly didn't hang around for long!
A huge thank you to both bakeries for helping us make the morning feel so special.
Customers who have been with us for decades
One of our favourite moments came from Jay, who has been shopping at Wild Oats for more than 40 years.
Jay joined our founder Mike Abrahams and our Director and Store Manager Alicia Stephens on Friday, and surprised us with a planted tree to mark our 45th anniversary.
It was a lovely reminder that the story of Wild Oats isn't only about how long the shop has been here. It's about the people who have supported it along the way.
Thank you from all of us at Wild Oats
Finally, a huge thank you to our Wild Oats team, who worked incredibly hard to bring the celebration together, and to everyone who helped spread the word in the run-up to the event.
We're also incredibly grateful to the local businesses, suppliers, friends and organisations who shared our anniversary with their communities and helped us reach even more people across Bristol and beyond.
Most of all, thank you to our customers. Whether you've been shopping with us for four decades or discovered us for the first time on Friday, we're so grateful to have you as part of the Wild Oats community.
Here's to the next chapter. 💚
Wild Oats was founded by Mike and Loes Abrahams in Bristol in 1981.
Read more about our story and 45 years of Wild Oats.
Professional photography: @JonCraig_Photos
