The family-run Somerset village shop which opened 130 years ago
Daphne Creed is the third generation of her family to run the village shop in Hardington Mandeville, near Yeovil.She took it on from her mother in 1991, who had managed it from 1936, who in turn had taken over from Ms Creed's grandmother, who had run it since the 1890s.Ms Creed received an MBE in 2012 for services to the community, for running the shop, and was presented with her award by the late Queen at Windsor Castle.She told BBC Radio Somerset the best part of running her 130-year-old shop was "meeting all my friends every day".
"I remember the old sweet jars and the cheese with the rind on," she said of the shop's history."Decimalisation came in and mum didn't think she was going to cope - but she did it fine!"The shop itself started life in the attached house, and has since grown to what it is today, and sells groceries and toiletries.It is also home to a Post Office, with Ms Creed saying they managed to avoid the Horizon scandal.Before running the shop, Ms Creed worked at Yeovil District Hospital in the maternity ward, but returned to the family business when her father passed away.
Lifeline for locals
She added she had good feedback from the community, including businesses that were able to pay in cash to the attached Post Office.Ms Creed, who is the shop's sole employee, also said she stayed open throughout the Covid lockdowns, adding people "queued right down the road" to get their essentials. "It was quite a thing really wasn't it?" she said, admitting it would have been a lifeline to locals.Keeping in touch with her friends was what Ms Creed said was her favourite thing about her job, saying: "It gives me something to get up for."However, she said customers coming in as she was trying to have some lunch could often be one of the downsides of the job.
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