Support your village shop

Whether you live in a country village, or one of the villages that make up our cities, you need your local shop - for some very good reasons: 1. You won't have to flog off to the supermarket every time you run out of loo paper 2. Non-mobile people, in particular the elderly, really need it 3. A local shop ups the value of your property by a considerable amount The first reason is purely practical, it will save you time, effort and travelling money; and the second is altruistic - but you will be elderly one day and may find yourself cut off from supplies. The third reason is hardly mentioned, and this is the one I want you to spread abroad: people need to know that, if they don't support their local shop now, by spending money in it, they will lose it; and, horror of horrors, their property will suddenly be worth a lot less than it was. Another thing that people may not be aware of is that anyone who runs a village shop deserves a medal. You've got to: :: know what brands of everything your customers like :: buy the stuff in, and then price it all, and stack it :: be there at dawn to take deliveries of the fresh stuff, and :: mark up the papers :: put the fruit and veg out, and take it in again - twice a day :: swot up for an exam if you're going to sell booze :: keep the accounts and pay the bills :: keep the shop clean and tidy :: dress the window/s :: order stuff for tomorrow :: all of this, and much more, before you start serving the :: customers, and listening for hours to their chat. There are, of course, firms that deliver to small shops; but their recommended retail prices are so high that the people who really need the shop won't be able to afford to buy your goods. A village shop has to perform a delicate balancing act by selling its goods at sensible prices, as well as making enough money to pay its overheads. And it can only do that if people spend money in it. Our village shop is run as a co-operative. We have a manager, and we take it in turns behind the counter. Our bread comes from the Bakery in the next village, our cakes are baked up the road, our eggs are laid by an unusual Cotswold breed (if you can't get to us, you can also buy them at Harrods), our honey is local, as is our bacon and ham; and, where possible, our fruit and veg. One of the most important reasons for having a village shop - which I haven't mentioned, because you can't put a price on it - is that it is a centre for the community. People are in and out all the time: we know what's going on, who needs help, who's done something exciting, and so on - and newcomers to the village can get to know people just by shopping. Without it (and we know what that's like, because ours was closed for two years), people have less reason for being out and about - and you could go for days without seeing anyone. This delightful picture of the shop is reproduced by kind permission of the village artist, who drew it for our Own Brand labels.. He is retired now, and only works for love. Hence he does not want me to give his name. Come and visit us. We are in Temple Guiting, in the North Cotswolds: you'll find us on the map in the middle of the Stow-on-the-Wold, Winchcombe and Broadway triangle. We're open seven days a week, but closed on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, and we'd love a visit from you. If you're thinking of setting up a co-operative to run your shop, you'll get help from surprising quarters; for example, Tesco in Stow-on-the-Wold trained us - and we learned some fascinating lessons about shop-lifting. We are very grateful to them. That particular store has a village shop sort of philosophy anyway - they're so kind and helpful. Essential reading, for all village shop owners and managers (and anyone who is contemplating taking one on) is SHELF LIFE by Stuart Russell. Stuart and his wife Liz ran the Poulton Village Shop (near Cirencester) for twelve years. Not only is the book very funny, it also gives you a first hand account of the problems you will face, including the interesting phenomenon of the people who swear that they really want a village shop, will never set foot in it - unless they're snowed it, or their car has broken down. The Beavers are featured as Major and Mrs Otter. Click here to find out more about this excellent book.