From the information I've gathered on island life it is apparent that the community of Stroma could easily support itself. The people produced nearly all their own food, clothing, furnishings and tools, but they were not entirely without influence of the mainland.
Extra groceries that were needed were bought from the island shop or the 'floating shops', both of these services were comparatively new to island life, for years the islanders had managed successfully alone. This shows that as life became easier on the mainland self-sufficiency on Stroma no longer seemed acceptable; Stroma people also wanted nice food and clothing. From Sinclair's Report in 1814 we are told that Stroma people were very simple and hard working, one hundred years later they were still hard working but also less self-sufficient.