Small shop owners in the borough of Hounslow have their say on running a local business ahead of Small Business Saturday , tomorrow (Dec 6).

South Street Café owner Rowan Joyce says small businesses "are the lifeblood of every local community".

A keen supporter of Small Business Saturday, and very well known for her cakes and home-made ice cream, made from locally sourced ingredients, the shop is a popular hang out for people of all ages, particularly the sweet-toothed ones.

She said: “We all want to live in communities that are warm and bright and so we run all sorts of groups - knitting, sewing, mindfulness & meditation, a book club, even a dad's creche on Saturday mornings.

"Many customers have made new friends here and some have formed life changing relationships.

“Small businesses are the lifeblood of every local community and it's important to celebrate this.

“You must be passionate about your business to the point of obsession. Above all, you must love, respect and celebrate your customers”.

Owner of the Feltham Eye Centre in Wilton Parade on the High Street, Mohamed Kasmani, said Feltham was an easy choice for him to base his business.

He has been running the eye centre for 13 years and urged budding entrepreneurs to always remember to put customers first.

Mr Kasmani said: “It is an opportunity to put small businesses on the map and show that we are a major part of the community.

"Without small businesses there would be no personality when it comes to providing services and custom.

“I live in west London and close to Heathrow and at the time my friend’s father was selling the practice.

“Looking at the practice I saw that it had a lot of potential and that we could provide a service with the latest equipment and products which were not offered in the Feltham area.

“Anyone thinking about going into business should remember to be, above all, honest with your customers, care for them and care for your staff."

Owners of furnishing shop, Decorexi, on Chiswick High Road, Lin Leung and Tricia Joyce said they have not looked back since opting to re-locate their store from Islington to west London, last year.

Ms Leung said running her own business gives her a sense of freedom, adding, "West London is a great hub and Chiswick in particular is a fantastic location, near the river with good road and public transport links into and out of London.

“It’s great having total autonomy in how we run things from when we open to what jobs we take on.”

The shop sells a mix of furniture, lighting and giftware which cannot be found in high street chains.

Giving advice to anyone thinking about starting a business, Ms Leung said: "Our customers love us because we get involved ourselves from day one - from meeting the customer to delivering the final job.

“Above all, know your market, know your product or service, know your competition and be prepared to work harder than you've ever done before!”