Look local: Hats off to Stockport’s eye care

As with many of England’s towns, cotton mills and engineering were historically at the heart of the Stockport’s local economy. But the town also benefitted from a unique trade – hat making. By the turn of the 20th century, Stockport’s hatting industry employed thousands of people and exported headgear all over the globe. As fashions changed and it became cheaper to produce products abroad, the hat-trick of industries eventually went into decline. Yet just last month the town got the go-ahead for a major business improvement district which will see more than £2.5m investment over the next five years.

Although not a ‘Stopfordian’ by birth, Atkins-Sutcliffe Eyewear owner Kari Tumelius has grown fond of the town. He says: ‘When I bought the practice I didn’t really pick Stockport because of the town, I was looking for different opportunities. But now I really enjoy Stockport and its people. My customer base is very colourful, with lots of different kinds of people from different ages. I have lots of NHS customers and lots of my customers are on benefits.’