New shop only weeks away By Barnaby Usborne
November will be an important month in the annals of the Parish Shop. On Friday 31st October we take over the completed building from Dink, our resourceful local builder, and start the transfer from the Portakabin that has served us so well for the last year and a half. All the stock and equipment has to be transferred while we continue trading from the Portakabin.
All being well, the new premises will open for business on Monday 10th November when we can start removing all signs of the Portakabin ready for the Official Opening of the new shop on Sunday 16th November at 12 noon.
You are all welcome to attend the opening, the happy realisation of three years of endeavour.
Your shop is here to serve!
By Sally Knowles
Now that our new and permanent shop is about to open, perhaps I can draw your attention to some new items that we will be stocking in the very near future.
We continue to expand our range of frozen produce: not only will we continue to sell sea bass fillets, smoked haddock, salmon steaks and cod but we now stock smoked mackerel, smoked trout and fishcakes. We will also be able to offer Field Fare ready meals as well as bags of their frozen vegetables, fruit, croissants and Danish pastries.
Many of you will have noticed that we are building up our supply of fresh fruit and vegetables as well; these are collected from Peterley Manor Farm twice a week at the moment. Please let us know whether we are offering the products that you wish to buy.
We usually have potatoes, onions, carrots, lettuces and tomatoes, apples and bananas, Bramley apples for cooking and sometimes avocados, asparagus, peaches and other fruit and vegetables. We certainly stock all the necessary ingredients for a meal as and when you need them!
We are continuing to provide a wide range of Fair Trade goods, including tea, coffee, sugar, dried fruit, rice and confectionery. It is possible to order other items from the Traidcraft catalogue, such as wine glasses (£12.00 for four) and other gifts. Hopefully, we will be able to source charity Christmas cards this year... and of course we sell stamps.
A final thought: please remember that we have a sheet for orders on the shop wall! If you place an order for bread, meat, fresh produce or any other items that we may not have in stock just when you need them, we will do our best to set them aside on the day you want them – it could even be as early as the following day. This would make life easier for us and avoid disappointment for you.
As we have said before, this is your shop and we want to make it work!