A COMMUNITY shop at the heart of St Dominick has started work on an extension which hopes to expand the shop’s horizons and offer even more to the village

Following the closure of the village’s post office and shop, residents hatched a plan to, using the parish hall car park and transforming a rusty shipping container into a gleaming shop, St Dominick Community Shop was born, opening its doorsNovember 2020, and with a team of volunteers running the shop, it quickly became a staple in the area.

Nearly two years on, and the shop is looking to expand, entering ‘phase two’ of its plans. The extension, which is coming in the form of a cabin, is hoped to offer a number of new facilities to the  venue. Some of these additions will include, a store room – which will house deliveries, additional retail space – to bring customers a wider range of products including frozen and refrigerated items, a toilet for volunteers, and improved access, providing a ramp suitable for wheelchairs and pushchairs.

A spokesperson for the shop said: “A key objective for the Shop Management Board this year has been to plan and deliver that extension.

“In terms of what new products we will be offering, we will be getting views from our customers about other things they might like to see on our shop shelves but in the first instance we will be offering a greater variety of deli and dairy items, more frozen foods and expanding our drinks range as well as putting out some Christmas stock such as cards, chutneys and sauces.”

While work commences on this extension, the shop is still open as usual: “At present, while the extension work is underway, we are able to keep the shop operating in its existing premises by routing customers through another entrance safely away from the work on and in the extension. On the 3rd October we will be opening the new extended premises which will be fully kitted out. Customers will be entering the shop via the new front door into the new part of the shop and through a doorway into the existing space. The stock will be organised into a new layout taking full advantage of the additional shelving, fridge and freezer capacity.”

Chair of the Shop Management Board, Rick Whitford is proud of what the shop has been able to achieve, he said: “I am absolutely delighted that we have been able achieve our objective of extending the shop premises.  We look forward to offering an even better service to our local community.  I would like to thank everyone that has been so supportive of the project in particular our customers, our fantastic team of volunteers that have kept the shop running, our dedicated Managers that have put in so much extra effort to get us to this point and my board member colleagues. Please do come and visit us if you have not done so before.”