Bringing you news of the shop and the village month by month
New products, events and happenings
We promised to give you an update after the meeting to celebrate our first year.
The community shop is overseen by a Steering Committee. In their turn those people, depending on the role they hold, may need to co-opt people to support them and run sub teams.
Those on the steering committe with specific roles are
Other volunteers offered or were co-opted to undertake specific roles. Most of these are ‘back of house’ and unseen but vital to the continued success of the shop.
Several new faces will be seen amongst the ‘front of house’ volunteers in the shop as well as some new ones on the ‘back of house’ roles. Some are new residents whilst others have lived in the village for a number of years. We welcome them all and hope they will enjoy their role. It may be challenging at times but we trust it will be enjoyable and that they will meet new friends along the way.
Volunteering for the shop has brought together a number of people who had not met previously or had met but hardly knew eath other. Many have made good social contacts and friendships. Other local businesses have benefited and we see groups of volunteers meeting in the White Horse Inn 2 doors away and at the Rocking Horse cafe near Stogumber Station too.
Not everyone is aware that 50% of the committe members and those co-opted to support them in their various roles, work full time or very nearly full time. A good many of the shop shift volunteers are similary employed elsewhere. However they are all prepared to offer their time and skills for this community venture outside or alongside their work committments.
We should all maybe step back and think about this for a moment – for 364 days of the year, Roger and Anne Howe used to handle all of the above tasks and roles mainly on their own. They did have the support and help of Sharon in the Post Office and occasional assistance one day a week in the shop from residents such as Sandy H, Marilyn B and Chris Garwood. then later from Jerry P and Paula N. Once again we should applaud Roger and Anne’s organisational abilities and smooth running of the shop for this village until their retirement in 2023.
Did you know
If you are going on holiday soon Stogumber Post Office is just the place to order your holiday currency. It’s just down the road and open every weekday morning.
Order your holiday money with Russ and you can collect it the next day !
How neat is that.
Alternatively, why not invest in a
A safe-to-use, prepaid, reloadable, multi-currency card that’s not linked to your bank account
No charges when you spend abroad*
*No charges when you spend abroad using an available balance of a local currency supported by the card.
Royal National Lifeboat Institution
Collection
I know that many of you are using less cash these days however if you can buy your shop purchases with cash or on account it really does help us – and of coure by helping us it helps you. Every card payment takes a little bit of our profit – the more profit the more products and the cheaper they will be to sell to you. 🙂
Not only that, but if you pay in cash and are prepared to pop small change in the RNLI pot that would help them too. Living here by the coast means it is all the more important for us all. Lifeboat volunteers save so many lives every year.
See full photo in the text!
On 30th March 2023 just over one year ago, Roger and Anne Howe and volunteer Sharon, officially retired from running the Stogumber shop and Post Office. Roger & Anne had kindly agreed to lease the premises to a group of local residents who had come together in January to discuss saving their village shop from closure.
It has to be said that at this stage very few of the volunteers had much experience of running or even working in a retail environment. However, at that original meeting it became apparent quite soon that a few were prepared to put their hand up to offer vital professional skills required to run the shop.
Amongst the skills sets required are: commercial purhasing acumen, financial and accounting skills, detailed procedural & documentation skills, people piloting and support, marketing, publicity & tech skills. Alongside this were other professional skills which would undoubtedly be required in future.
Going forwards, if the community wanted the business to continue to exist and run in a sustainable, professional and businesslike fashion, all of those professional skills would be required. Along with that we would need people with a multitude of skills in the shop itself to serve the customers and keep the shop itself and products it sells in good order and ship shape.
Under the financial guidance of Lance Moir, a Steering Committee was formed to oversee and organise the running of the shop and to delegate the various commercial, shop floor and back of house elements of operating such a business to those with the relevant professional and technical skills.
Those on the steering committe with specific roles are
Other volunteers offered/were co-opted to undertake specific roles
Volunteering: Not everyone is aware that 50% of the committe members and those co-opted to support them, work full time. A good many of the shop shift volunteers are similary employed elsewhere. However they are able to offer their time and skills for this community venture outside or alongside their work committments.
The photo below shows a small number of the main group who gathered on March 23rd to celebrate the successful first anniversary of Stogumber Community Village Shop Ltd.
The 2nd photo shows just some of volunteer group who originally gathered in early April 2023 in Stogumber Village Hall.
The shop made a very small profit and we all have to admit to making some errors, but these are not insurmountable – it is all part of our learning curve.
A new TILL & shop purchasing power:
We have received a donation from a villager for a new and costly till (+ stock record system), This will mean a really business like progression and should avoid many of those errors. Lance and Sheila tell us us that for shop front volunteers, this Summer will involve a not too arduous learning curve on the new till and stock systems.
The group also heard a little about the fact that purchasing power for small shops is quite a different matter to that of the supermarkets. We do not have the storage or the vehicles to collect direct from wholesalers or manufacturers and neither therefore, can we order large quantities in order to get a better price.
On top of this, any small business of this type has to pay VAT to HMRC. For many of the items we sell we have to add 20% – and that is before we add any profit for the shop.
HOW to increase turnover?
At the celebratory ‘tea and cake’ meeting on 23rd March, both Lance Moir and Sheila Gibbs impressed on the group that the next step towards maintaining a sustainable shop is to increase turnover – see below. First let’s see the photo shoot!
Lance & Sheila explained that to increase turnover the best and really the only way is to a) attract new customers and b) for existing customers to spend more. In this climate the latter is not so easy.
We therefore need to broaden our horizons beyond the village centre and to attract more and different customers into the village centre.
If new customers can easily see what we stock and how we compare, they may venture inside to have a quick look.
Only then, are they likely to make a purchase.
We also need to learn to allow new customers to browse – this is really really important.
Make them welcome – but it is vital to give them time to browse quietly too.
The website and social media team will also be working hard to spread the word. With the help of ALL the volunteers including the wonderful shop window team, we believe we can increase range of the publicity – we just need you to tell us what YOU think needs advertising – drop us an email or post us a note.
Passing traffic
Contrary to popular belief – although passing traffic may not come past the shop itself, we do now get plenty of traffic passing through the village along Vellow Road and Brook Street and along Station Road & Ashbeer Hill too. We also get lots of delivery drivers who are all prospective customers – even if only for a cold drink and a pastie/sausage roll.
Drivers from Wivey direction and Exmoor, cut through to Bridgwater over the Quantocks and to St Audries and onwards. Plenty of people travel from the A39 through the village from the junctions at Crowcombe and Woolston Moor. They travel through the village via the junction on the B3447 by Hartrow Manor (nr Elworthy) via Ashbeer Hill.
SIGNS into the village:
There IS a small sign at the High St / Brook St juncton pointing to the Shop & Post Office. This can be seen from the Vellow direction. It would be better if it was larger and not obstructed by vehicles quite so often but parking in the village is at a premium now.
There are soon to be brown ‘tourist destination’ signs at the 3 ‘main road’ junctions into the village. This is thanks to Judi Hayes of Hall Farm’s perseverance with a continued 2 year long application via the Parish Council to the Council and Highways departments. The village run charity ‘CRASH’ has contributed to the cost as it has done with the shop set up. The signs will we hope help the whole village become more visible to visitors in future.
There will undoubtedly be some changes to the team and to volunteers in the forthcoming months. We will keep you posted.
Published February 2024. Stogumber Shop has been stocking Premium wines for some months now and occasionally fine wines too. The result has been an increase in sales in this area.
Our latest offering is the MaTaCa blend which offers the fruitiness of Malbec with the elegance of Cabernet and the structure of Tannat.
Click the arrows to see more images
Premium wines though! What’s so special about a Premium wine ?
Well…. In the UK, the term “premium wine” is used to describe wines that are of high quality and are priced higher than the average wine in the market”
These are not just average wines with a higher price ticket. These wines are often made from carefully selected grapes grown in prime vineyard locations and are produced using traditional winemaking methods.
The benefits of stocking Premium wines are several. Premium wines on our shelves are attracting new customers who, whilst visiting to purchase their wines, invariably make other purchases. Some of those customers are from slightly further afield than the immediate confines of Stogumber.
If those customers have a happy & succcessful shopping experience they are also more likely to remember Stogumber Shop & Post Office when they next need to do a quick shop, buy a stamp, birthday card or withdraw some cash or of course buy that a decent bottle of wine.
They won’t have to travel into town for their wine or order online and wait for delivery – their wine is here ready and waiting. Keep it local – Anything Stogumber Shop sells benefits the whole community.
Stogumber Shop – the village shop with a growing reputation for premium and fine wines.
Added benefit: Did you know that any village with a shop, is deemed to be a much more desirable place to live. This applies to both social, shared and private housing. Property in a desirable village with a shop (+ a school and pub) will be increased in popularity and value in some instances by about 30%.
The Fine Wine Company has an article telling us that Premium wines are characterised by their exceptional quality, unique flavors. These wines are typically made from the finest grapes, harvested from well-maintained vineyards, and crafted by experienced winemakers who pay meticulous attention to every detail of the winemaking process.
Most of our premium wines are researched and sourced personally by the lead of the Stogumber Shop steering committee who travels regularly and quite extensively through wine growing areas. He is a something of a wine enthusiast – a self confessed wine snob in fact.
Information from the UK Trade Testing website tells us more about the Premium wines we are stocking regularly now:
1) High quality: Premium wines are generally made from high-quality grapes and are produced using traditional winemaking techniques.
2) Limited production: Many premium wines are produced in limited quantities, which can contribute to their exclusivity and high price.
3) Unique flavor profile: Premium wines often have a unique and complex flavor profile that sets them apart from lower-priced wines.
4) Aging potential: Many premium wines have the potential to age well, developing more complex flavors and aromas over time.
We would add that vinyards have specific terroirs – (Terroir: the individual ecosystem/climate, including soil, and the vine type – in French it simply means ‘a sense of place’).
Have you considered that instead of always buying your regular wine, it might be time to branch out and try some Premium or finer wines now and again – maybe just for that time when you have guests or a special celebraton? The Premium wines will command higher price tags, however they also offer much greater value in terms of the quality of the wine.
How do the shop prices compare with restaurant prices? Many of us when eating out on a special occasion at a restaurant would be prepared to spend £25, £30 or even £40 on premium bottle of wine. We all understand that huge mark up on the retail selling price is owing to the restaurant overheads and wages etc., but it IS a special occasion and we also appreciate the restaurant atmosphere.
Drinking at home: So what happens when you are not eating out? Does that mean you should not buy special wines? You can still have a special Premium wine at home – just pop into Stogumber Shop we have similar wines to those restaurant wines – but they are priced from just £11.50. We admit that you won’t get that same restaurant experience at home, but you’ll find a wine that delivers just that little bit extra to make it feel special.
Stogumber Shop & P.O. was closed for electrical maintenance work.
What about PAPERS, MILK & BREAD ! We moved our sales team and some of the daily stock over to the Church. It went well – and there was even tea and coffee avalailable.
Thank you to all our customers who continued to use the services of the shop during those few days – we enjoyed seeing you all. Thank you to the sales team who continued to serve our customers with your usual cheer.
Lance Moir our specialist wine buyer recently sourced a selection of special wines which were very successful. They joined the new and larger selection of wines availble in the shop.
Not everyone living in Stogumber is aware we suspect, that quite a substantial portion of the Parish of Stogumber lies within Exmoor National Park. The area to the east, at the top of Ashbeer Hill and over beyond Elworthy, Combe Sydenham and over to Monksilver all lie within Stogumber Parish and within ENP boundary. It is not unusual therefore, for Exmoor periodicals to include Stogumber now and again.
Exmoor magazine is a quarterly glossy publication containing local news and background stories on local people, local groups and industries, history, villages, and this issue also contains information on Festive Fairs and much more.
Emoor magazine is locally owned and locally produced and has a lively social media presence which is very supportive of local businesses and organisations. Stogumber Shop stocks the Exmoor magazine and is popular with both local residents and the many visitors who stay locally all year round and who pass through the village as they explore the area and countryside around us.
Our particular interest in the magazine this month is owing to a 4 page article featuring a walk by Sue Viccars in and around Stogumber. The piece includes over 25 photographs by Craig Joiner of various locations and points of interest or route markers during the walk.
You’ll find mentions of Hill Street, Dean Close, Pickpurse Lane, Curdon Mill, Chedarmarsh, Brambletye and lots lots more. There are photographs of Swan House, of several properties in the High Street, St Mary’s Church, the Beacon Field, Escott Lane, The Cricket Club, Keepers Cottage, Catford Cottage and various other locations along the walk.
Grab your copy of Exmoor before they are all sold out – it’s a good read for these chilly Autumn days.
Ready Cooked meals by Gourmade.
Honestly made with natural ingredients. They taste as though they could have been make in your kitchen.
We now stock a selection of these meals. Come and check them out in the display freezer.
When can you buy them? 8-1 and 5-7 every weekday.
Tell us what you would like and try them out. You will be surprised at the taste and flavour.
The pictures here (like many pages on this site), will scroll right to left or click arrows to move on more quickly.
A successful day and thank you to Peter Captainino, the PC and committee for organising a great event. Thank you to everyone who dontated and entered the show enabling Peter to tell us that the show raised over £300 towards a new display freezer for the shop.
“Seventy-Five shows and still going strong”
On 5th August Stogumber held its 75th Annual Village Flower and Produce Show and Art Exhibition with a 60% increase in the number of people joining in – see the rotating photos alongside this text.
Although the show has classes and traditional cups for many of the classes, the afternoon is today recognised as a fun event for all the family. Some of the silver cups were donated many years ago by Stogumber families who have lived in the village for generations and have grandchildren and great grandchildren attending the village school.
Children, grandchildren or nieces and nephews of the villagers are encouraged to join in with their entries of flowers from the garden in a jam jar or vase, vegetables, herbs, gifts, cards or articles they have made.
The Village Hall was filled with the scent of cut flowers and fresh baking and decorated with illustrated writing from the children of Stogumber and Crowcombe.
The tables were full and adorned with rows of Vegetables, Fruit, Baking, Preserves, Cut Flowers, Flower Arrangements and Crafts.
The Show was complemented by a magnificent Art Exhibition showcasing the work of Stogumber artists and also a Scarecrow competition (photos to follow). It all bears testament to an industrious and talented village of all ages.
The Show finished with the traditional auction of donated exhibits with surplus funds to go towards a new freezer cabinet for the Community Shop.
The children of Crowcombe and Stogumber school were well represented in the children’s classes with many children showing their prowess with an illustrated piece of writing or poem.
Congratulations to all the adults and children who entered.
Click to download the 75th Stogumber Show Schedule of Classes (PDF download)
Check out the 30 second video below
In June the village held Gardens Open for the 43rd year ! The weekend was an emormous success once again.
Congratulations to all the wonderful gardeners who are brave enough to open their gardens.
Thank you to team who organise and run this event every year. They work tirelessly in the run up organising all the different aspects of this event which in today’s world is no mean feat with regulations to be met and insurances to be sorted.
Thanks to the new team running the catering who organised all the volunteers and who all work SO hard preparing hot & cold main dishes. Thank you to those who worked long hours all weekend – your help is greatly appreciated.
Thanks also to all the dozens of people in Stogumber and surrounding hamlets who were runners and messengers, helped with car park control and who contributed bowls of AMAZING salads, quiches, scones, deserts and cakes and much much more, they were all amazing as were you all. We hope you have recovered.
Thank you to those who manned the shop all weekend – it seems it was well worth your efforts.
We cannot forget that the catering has been organised for many years by one or two people who stepped back this time.
A huge THANK YOU to those who have organised the catering in the past – you deserve a medal – you know who you are ! THANK YOU.
ICE CREAMS
We have a selection of ices in the shop – drop in soon to choose your favourite. Our ‘From Farm to Shop’ aim is perfected by ‘Styles’. Recognised as the Somerset premier producers of homemade farmhouse ice cream and iced desserts. All Styles products are made on the farm nearby in Rodhuish from Award Winning Jersey milk.
Check the flavours and tell us your favourite in the shop
Styles Ice Cream is made in Rodhuish very close to Stogumber, the Baker family have been making ice cream since 1930’s. They make it because they love ice cream. That’s the best recommendation as far as we are concerned.
The recipes today were perfected by Sue in her farmhouse kitchen, using only fresh whole jersey cow’s or sheep’s milk, with fresh West Country cream and no artificial colours or ingredients.
The use of Jersey cow’s milk was ‘happened upon’ by chance when David and Sue received the wrong order of milk one day and found the resulting ice cream creamier and more luxurious, so they made the switch there and then. More ices:
May 2023: The new stamps in the Post Office
