We are currently looking at small premises to get our Community Shop off the ground.
We were recommended to go and look at the Village Shop in Stottesdon to see what can be achieved from a small amount of space.
Thanks to Johanna Brown for sending in the following report.
Ed
I visited The Fighting Cocks pub at Stottesdon for a meal, which I would highly recommend to anyone reading. After the meal I had a look round the "Shop at the Cocks", and had a chat with the owner, Sandra Jefferies.
What can I say, yes it's small but it's packed with everything you need, plus some "posh nosh" extras with Sandra selling her pub food as ready meals. Sandra has started small, used local suppliers wherever possible, and learnt what sells and what doesn't over time.
She mentioned "Sell By" dates as something to be careful of - good for the big supermarkets but difficult to manage on a smaller turnover.
Sandra has built up a core group of regulars that buy all they need through the Shop which is what keeps it going. She knows she can't always beat the supermarkets on price, so she tries to sell different things.
When we open our new shop (coming soon!) we will need the backing of our wonderful community, not just to get us started, but to keep us going through thick & thin, so we can do our bit to get the heart of Cheswardine back.
Jo Brown
