About Adrienne

Retail has been part of my life for as long as I can remember

I grew up above my parents’ toy shop, where I watched them build a thriving business based on good old fashioned retail values.

Over the last 35 years, I’ve experienced retail from almost every angle. I have managed at Hamleys, and Gap kids, and I led the team at Harrods Toy Kingdom, and spent 15 years running my own independent party shop.

I know the magic of a busy shop and a buzzy high street, but I also understand how relentless retail can be. I’ve experienced the pressure of changing markets, shifting customer habits, rising costs which are out of my control and now the constant need to evolve.

Since I closed my shop, I have had a chance to step back and observe the changes, successes and the evolution of our high streets and I’m still closely involved with my own local high street, supporting its shops and cafés and creating community initiatives. It gives me a front-row seat to the huge shifts taking place in retail and the way people now discover, visit and connect with independent businesses.

It’s no longer enough to rely on passing footfall. Being an independent shopkeeper has become about so much more, and that’s what continues to fascinate and excite me about retail today.  I still have a huge fire in my belly for shops.   I can see the shift, new energy and evolution required to become a ‘Modern Shopkeeper’ - and I’m here to help.

The storefront of Café Columbo with green framing, displaying various bagels and baked goods in the window. The window has colorful signs advertising garden tea, cakes, bigels, and other items. A woman stands to the left, smiling, next to a blackboard sign that lists bagels, tea, cake, coffees, and savories for $4.50 each.

Adrienne D’ Souza

Three blue stars of varying sizes arranged in a cluster on a plain background.

Why The Modern Shopkeeper exists

The way people shop has changed and the role of the shopkeeper has changed with it.

In 2026, running a successful independent shop is about far more than opening the doors and selling great products. Customers expect experiences, personality and reasons to keep coming back. They want to feel connected to the businesses they support and the communities they live in.

Modern shopkeepers need to think differently about how they connect with customers, collaborate with other businesses and become a valued part of their local community.

I meet many brilliant shopkeepers who feel stuck or as though their business has gone a little stale. Often, they’re simply too close to it – and too busy keeping everything going to see what could change.

My mission is to bring fresh eyes, practical ideas and a big injection of energy. I help individual independent shopkeepers work out what community, collaboration and connection could look like for their own business, then find realistic ways to put those ideas into action.

There’s no one-size-fits-all formula and no expectation to do everything. It’s about finding the right opportunities for your shop, giving customers more reasons to visit and helping your business feel relevant, exciting and ready for the future.

A woman standing at the entrance of a shop, smiling, wearing a fish-patterned shirt and carrying a beige backpack and a paper shopping bag labeled 'nook.' There is a colorful flower bouquet in a white pot at her side, and a menu or sign on the shop window behind her.

“Independent shops thrive when they offer more than things to buy - creating connection, building community and giving people every reason to come back.”

— Adrienne D’Souza, Founder of The Modern Shopkeeper

A woman dressed in a cat costume with black and white furry accents, hanging with a stuffed black cat toy, in a costume store aisle filled with wigs and hats.

A New Era Needs a New Kind of Shopkeeper

See How I Can Help You