Posted in Personal life

The Unsung Services of Our Village Shop

(Originally written for the March edition of the Hawkesbury Parish News, this post praises our village shop and encourages people everywhere to shop local)

Photo of the entrance to the Hawkesbury Shop
Shop this way….

“I’m sending you a tall dark handsome man.”

So I was told when I popped in to the Hawkesbury Shop to collect my regular Hobbs House bread order the other week. Hmm, now there’s a new service I didn’t know about, I thought, wondering what my husband would make of it.

Bookshelves
I run the shop’s secondhand book stall, in aid of the village school PTA and the village shop

It turned out that the staff had been chatting to a new customer who had recently moved to the area. When they discovered he was writing a book, they told him he ought to meet me, as they knew I help fellow authors publish and promote their books. The result: I’ve acquired a new and interesting friend, who I’ve introduced to other friends, including some who are helping him find accommodation.  And the shop has another satisfied customer.

Photo of local cakes for sale
Supporting local traders

This episode illustrates just one of many unsung services offered by our village shop. Earlier this week I discovered another one. When the school bus was an hour late on a very cold Monday morning, the children whose parents had already left for work were allowed to wait safely inside the shop till the bus eventually appeared. How comforting for working parents to know that in such a crisis, the shop steps into the rescue.

So support your local shop, folks, because it supports our village community in so many ways, often with no financial reward. Tesco and co, take note: kindness to customers is one thing that money can’t buy.

Shelf of fresh loaves
Bread from the famous Hobbs House Baker Boys

Author:

English author of warm, witty cosy mystery novels including the popular Sophie Sayers Village Mysteries and the Gemma Lamb/St Bride's School series. Novels published by Boldwood Books, all other books by Hawkesbury Press. Represented by Ethan Ellenberg Literary Agents. Founder and director of the Hawkesbury Upton Literature Festival. Course tutor for Jericho Writers. UK Ambassador for the Alliance of Independent Authors. Lives and writes in her Victorian cottage in the heart of the beautiful Cotswold countryside.

3 thoughts on “The Unsung Services of Our Village Shop

  1. Reblogged this on Mari Howard, Author and commented:
    I just love the idea of living in Hawkesbury Upton, which Debbie makes sound a perfect location! Now looking forward to visiting to take part in the Hawkesbury Upton LitFest on April 23rd …

  2. This is very timely Debbie in the week that our village shop has sadly announced it is to close. I don’t think people will realise what they have lost until it is just too late.

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