In Bedford, new store Sammy’s Hat Groceries is making a significant impact thanks to a dedicated mother and daughter team, Stacey Brown and Pasha Stanley.
Located in the heart of the Putnoe and Goldington community, the store fills a “long-standing gap” by offering a range of traditional and cultural groceries, whole foods, hair and skincare products and other essentials from Asian, African, and Caribbean heritages.
The name “Sammy’s Hat” pays tribute to Samuel William Gordon, known as “Sammy,” a proud Jamaican who had a special bond with his grandchildren, often sharing sweets and hidden treasures from under his stylish hats. In his memory, his great-granddaughter Pasha and his granddaughter Stacey, with support from their family, opened the store.
From a Caribbean household, Stacey and Pasha, have lived in the area for over 20 years and find it “very difficult” to source certain day-to-day essential foods and items. Daughter Pasha says to get hold of Caribbean and African households, they’d have to travel out of their area into town or even out of Bedford to get source basic items.
“Growing up in an area where it is so diverse, so many different communities and cultures within Putnoe and Goldington, it was a real shame that we had to travel out of our own community to get basic necessities. That’s why we thought, you know, this is needed,” Pasha explains.
“We have created a store where individuals can buy their everyday essentials. The nearby shops do not stock some of these items, and if they do, it’s a premium price point because it’s hard to get and it’s not one of their usual suppliers. Additionally, even if they do have these products, they might not offer the full range. Given our understanding of the culture, we are familiar with the specific items that are in demand.”
The store features a variety of fruit, veg and whole foods such as yam, Jamaican sweet potato, Jamaican avocado and breadfruit. You can also find a lot of natural ingredients including maize flour, cornmeal, corn mazes and fufu flour.
”We’ve had to reach out to a lot of different suppliers. If you’re in a bigger city such as London, these things are easy to come by, but in a smaller area such as Bedford, its really sought after.
We’ve been able to supply and source lots of snacks and sweet treats from Jamaica, like plantain crisps, which if you were a child growing up in Jamaica, you’d get them from your local corner shop. And I’ve never grown up in an area when I can get plantain crisps,” says Pasha.
Sammy’s Hat Groceries also boasts a selection of hot foods sourced from local suppliers. The food to go options include Nigerian meat pies and Jamaican patties of all different flavours. “You go in some stores and they have hot deli counters, it tends to be English foods and nothing I would resonate with at home. So we work with local suppliers, for the Nigerian meatpacking meat pies, we work with a local Nigerian Baker who makes them. And then for the pasties we work with a homemade bakery that makes the patties for us.”
One of their core values is to give back to the local community. They plan to utilise social media to share their story and honour Sammy’s legacy, while also working with local suppliers and encouraging other businesses to collaborate with them.
“We get people from all different walks of life coming in, sharing their different cultural experiences. Whether someone has traveled through the Caribbean or Africa and wants to recreate a dish they enjoyed but aren’t sure how to. Our Instagram and Facebook messages are always open and we encourage people to send us messages.
If a customer has questions about a recipe or a specific dish, we encourage them to share their knowledge. We also encourage interaction among customers. If a product is unfamiliar to us, especially from cultures outside our own, we will speak with customers to gather their insights and then share that valuable information with the rest of the community,” Pasha added.
Bedford Borough Mayor, Tom Wootton, attended the grand opening of Sammy’s Hat on 31 August 2024.
In his remarks, Mayor Wootton said: “What Pasha and Stacey, along with their family, have built with Sammy’s Hat is a shining example of the importance of family-run business in our Borough. Not only have you honoured the legacy of Sammy, but also given something invaluable back to the community - Putnoe & Goldington’s first convenience store of this nature.”
One Facebook user wrote a review on the new store: “Although I’m white, I was raised by African, Jamaican Caribbean women… So know a homemade patty!! Yummy!! If I could purchase my goat meat here too as they have everything else needed to save the trip into town now… well that would be the icing on the cake, or should I say it would baaaa all I needed!! Anyway Sammy’s Hat Groceries! Try them.”
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