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What We Sell

Organic Fruits & Vegetables

We receive deliveries of fresh produce from Organic North twice a week, with an emphasis on seasonal availability. We also collect regularly from two local, organic farms: Fold House Farm in Pilling and Ward and Thompson in Preesall, and stock seasonal greens from Growing with Grace in Clapham.

Organic North Growing with Grace

Vegan Groceries

Daily freshly baked bread made with organic flour, Fairtrade teas and coffees, tinned foods, chilled & frozen goods, fruit juices, snacks, bean to bar chocolate from The Fig Tree in Garstang and Lancashire rapeseed oil (refills available!) and much more.

Loose Wholefoods

Reduce waste and buy as much or as little as you want with our loose grains, pulses, nuts, nuts, pasta, seeds and mueslis, dried fruits and herbs and spices. You can either bring your own container to fill, use one of our recycled paper bags, or buy upcycled cotton bags made by the Lancaster Sewing Café.

Wines & Beers

We stock a wide selection of vegan ales, including local beers from Lancaster Brewery, and Samuel Smith’s beers from Tadcaster. We also have a range of organic, vegan wines.

Lancaster Brewery Samuel Smith's

A view inside Single Step — a view inside

Cleaning & BodyCare

Environmentally friendly cleaning products. Plus a range of soaps & bodycare products. Many of these, from shampoo to multi surface cleaner, are refillable. Simply bring your own bottle and top it up at our self-serve refill station to reduce plastic and save money. None of our products are tested on animals.

Gifts & Cards

We sell a variety of gifts, including local art, soy wax candles from The Yorkshire Candle Company, Satya incense, badges, and a range of unique cards and postcards.

The Yorkshire Candle Company

Books

A small range of vegan recipe books, left-wing literature and local authors.

About Single Step

What we stand for

Established in 1976, Single Step was at the forefront of the zero-waste, vegetarian revolution long before the supermarkets jumped on the green bandwagon, and we have remained proudly independent.

Ethics are at the heart of everything we do... from the loose goods which enable our customers to purchase plastic-free groceries, to our non-hierarchical structure. Our cosmetics are always environmentally friendly and are never tested on animals. Our fresh, organic fruit and vegetables are as local and seasonal as possible, and none of it is air freighted.

We currently have six members and, as a workers' co-op, we have no overall boss or manager. This means that all six of us are equally responsible for every aspect of the business. As a registered co-op, we firmly share the co-operative values of self-help, self-responsibility, democracy, equality, equity, and solidarity. Like many other cooperatives, we believe in the ethical values of honesty, openness, social responsibility and caring for others.

The name of our shop comes from the ancient Chinese philosopher Laozi: “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” We believe that in a consumerist society, global and social change begin with what we put in our shopping baskets.

Our History

Single Step Co-op originally opened as radical bookshop on King Street in Lancaster, selling books on feminism, left-wing politics, philosophy, natural health and wholefood cookery, which also sold dried wholefoods.

Not long after, we moved to our current premises, down the alley at 78a Penny Street – a former wallpaper warehouse.

After some serious renovating, ‘The Warehouse’ was opened – with a café upstairs, ‘Single Step Bookshop’ on the ground floor and a crèche in the basement.

We’re still going strong today, and we continue to operate on the same principles of co-operation the shop was founded on over four decades ago.

In the face of a climate emergency we focus on making wholefoods with a low environmental impact and great taste available to as many people as possible. We always aim to source foods from producers employed in meaningful, fairly paid work.

Penny Street alley prior to Single Step — Penny St.

inside Penny Street during renovation — Renovating

entrance to the Penny Street alleyway — The Alley

Find & Contact

How to find us

The map below will point you to our location at number 78a on Penny Street (LA1 1XN), just through the alleyway.

Clicking on the map above will take you to Google Maps to be given full directions from your desired starting point.

How to contact us

If you have any comments, or queries please don't hesitate to get in touch. You can call us during our opening hours on:

01524 63021

Or if it is more convenient for you, use the form below to send us a message and we'll get back to you as soon as we can.