Hello Heaton is an online directory showcasing the independent businesses of Heaton and High Heaton, in Newcastle.
Who’s behind Hello Heaton?
Hello Heaton was created by Marty Hayes, a Heaton resident with a background in digital strategy, online business management and content design. After living in the area for close to ten years, I wanted to build something that genuinely supports the independent businesses that make Heaton such a distinctive place to live.
I’ve worked in ecommerce and digital for more than 17 years, and Hello Heaton brings together my love of local communities with my experience in building clear, useful online tools.
If you’d like to get in touch, you can reach me at hello@helloheaton.co.uk
How are business selected for inclusion?
Hello Heaton focuses exclusively on independent businesses in Heaton and High Heaton. We don’t include national chains or franchises, as the aim of the site is to highlight the people and places that give the area its character.
Listings cannot be bought or influenced, and every business is added based on the same criteria: independent ownership, relevance to the local community, and a physical presence in the area.
After toying around with the idea for a local directory for a while, what started out as a pet project to dust off some previous skills / experience with WordPress has grown to what it is today. A few weeks after launching the site we now have over 90 listings across 12 categories.
How we keep information accurate
We aim to keep every listing as accurate and up to date as possible. Business details can change quickly, so we regularly review opening hours, menus, contact details and attributes such as dog‑friendliness or food hygiene ratings. If you spot anything that needs updating, please let us know – we’ll fix it quickly.
Each listing is categorised, includes various attributes, and then lives within a master category to make navigating the site easier. Where possible we’ve included pictures and a description of each business, as well as their opening hours, if they’re dog-friendly, and their latest food hygiene rating, where appropriate. If you’ve any further ideas for useful info to be added, please let us know.
How is Hello Heaton maintained?
Hello Heaton is updated weekly with new listings, corrections, and local news stories. We regularly walk the area, speak to business owners and residents, and monitor changes to ensure the site stays accurate and useful.
How is Hello Heaton funded?
The site is free to use and free for local businesses to be listed. In the future, Hello Heaton may include advertising or optional paid features, but these will never affect which businesses are included.
Our approach to reviews
Visitors can leave reviews based on their own experiences. Reviews may be moderated to prevent spam, offensive content or personal attacks, but not to influence opinions.
Why Hello Heaton exists
Heaton has always been full of creativity, character and independent spirit. Hello Heaton exists to celebrate that – to make it easier for people to discover the cafés, shops, pubs, services and community spaces that make this area feel like home.
You can search or browse any way you please to discover your new favourite Heaton hangout, but the below navigation aids should help:
Browse by what you’re after:
- Hungry / Thirsty? This is the master category showing all businesses where you can get fed and watered; restaurants, bars, cafes, wine shops, sweet shops etc
- Local Services. Here you’ll find things like florists, tattoo shops, launderettes and more, with more services in the works to be added.
- Shop Local. Heaton has a great range of independent retailers, selling everything from skate boards to guitars, reptiles to dog food, vintage clothes to second hand books.
- Things to do. Think recreation and entertainment; find your local gym, fitness classes, follow your local football team, go to the theatre, enjoy the cinema – all without leaving Heaton!
Browse by category:
At the moment we have 12 categories which seem to cover most of what Heaton has to offer (although we reserve the right to add more!). Some fit more neatly into their category than others, so if you want to contest any, feel free. Browse by any of the below categories to see the corresponding business.
- Bars & Pubs
- Cafes & Delis
- Entertainment
- Florists
- Food & Drink Shops
- Health & Wellness
- Independent Shops
- Launderettes & Clothing Care
- Restaurants
- Sandwich Shops
- Social Clubs
- Tattoo Shops
Browse by street:
The businesses of Heaton and High Heaton cover just about every street in the area, but most are found within a handful of streets. The streets with the most independent businesses are:
The blog
As well as the business listings, we aim to provide useful information about the local area on our blog. In the News category you’ll find information about new shops opening, local events and other local updates. In the Community category you’ll discover more in-depth pieces relating to Heaton and the surrounding areas, such as info on allotments in Heaton, breweries in the area and more. We also plan to create more local guides such as ‘dog friendly cafes‘ or ‘dog friendly pubs‘ – the goal is to make Hello Heaton the most useful, up‑to‑date resource for anyone who lives in or loves the area.
Get in touch
If you’re the owner of a local business not yet on Hello Heaton, we’d love for you to get in touch via the Business Owner? page to let us know. As long as your business fits the criteria for the site we’ll get you added. Alternatively, if your business is already listed but you’d like to discuss any edits, just let us know. You can also discuss any partnership opportunities or ways of working together to further promote your business.