Villagers keep shop open after owners retire
News from SW
A loan from Co-operative & Community Finance combined with the substantial investment of local people has helped a Dorset village to keep open its only shop and post office following the retirement of the previous owners.
The campaign to save the shop in Motcombe, near Shaftesbury, started in January of this year with a public meeting attended by 210 villagers. In just six months they have set up a community co-operative, raised £70,000 by a share issue and accessed other funding, bought the shop and refurbished the premises.
The transfer of ownership was complicated because the shop is attached to the home of the retiring owners and various alterations were needed. The shop has been operating a reduced service during the refit. It will reopen on 17 July with increased floor space providing a good range of local produce, a coffee shop, post office and internet access. The public launch will be in September after a trial period which will include continuing to train new staff and making any further necessary adjustments.
“We had a huge response from our local community supporting the venture,” the chairman of the shop management committee, Alex Buck, explains. “Owning the shop as a community really brings everybody together and shows what you can achieve. Everybody has a say in how the shop is run and what they want to see available in there.
“Since our local pub has also shut down, the shop is really now the main focal point of the village.
“The post office has managed to stay open throughout the refurbishment, and we have worked around the building work to maintain our skeleton service in the shop. We have a massive local interest: everybody is helping out in every possible way. Painting, decorating, setting up; we even have local traders carrying out work favourably and for free. People are still making suggestions and really getting involved.
“Co-operative & Community Finance provided us with information and advice, as well as the loan which assisted us in purchasing the shop.”
Ian Rothwell from Co-operative & Community Finance says, “It was great to see such an enthusiastic community raising the money so quickly for their shop, and I was pleased to be able to support their purchase of the property.”
The transfer of ownership was complicated because the shop is attached to the home of the retiring owners and various alterations were needed. The shop has been operating a reduced service during the refit. It will reopen on 17 July with increased floor space providing a good range of local produce, a coffee shop, post office and internet access. The public launch will be in September after a trial period which will include continuing to train new staff and making any further necessary adjustments.
“We had a huge response from our local community supporting the venture,” the chairman of the shop management committee, Alex Buck, explains. “Owning the shop as a community really brings everybody together and shows what you can achieve. Everybody has a say in how the shop is run and what they want to see available in there.
“Since our local pub has also shut down, the shop is really now the main focal point of the village.
“The post office has managed to stay open throughout the refurbishment, and we have worked around the building work to maintain our skeleton service in the shop. We have a massive local interest: everybody is helping out in every possible way. Painting, decorating, setting up; we even have local traders carrying out work favourably and for free. People are still making suggestions and really getting involved.
“Co-operative & Community Finance provided us with information and advice, as well as the loan which assisted us in purchasing the shop.”
Ian Rothwell from Co-operative & Community Finance says, “It was great to see such an enthusiastic community raising the money so quickly for their shop, and I was pleased to be able to support their purchase of the property.”
Villagers keep shop open after owners retire - Send this story to a friend
Villagers keep shop open after owners retire - printer friendly page
