After being closed for over a year, Jonathan and Judith Armstrong have bought Trebetherick Stores near Polzeath with the intention of restoring it to its former glory as a traditional village shop – and they’re looking for a tenant to take it on.
Trebetherick Stores is a well-known local landmark which used to have a loyal following from holidaymakers and from local residents in the heart of the village of Trebetherick in North Cornwall. Trebetherick is a village on the Camel Estuary across from Padstow and steeped in history. It’s the last resting place of poet John Betjeman who wrote a famous poem about the village – Trebetherick.
The shop was a traditional community shop but unfortunately was a victim of COVID and some other misfortunes and closed its doors, it was thought for the last time, in May 2021. The new owners were upset at the closure as it has been a fixture of the village since 1949 so they tried to rescue it to re-open it as a shop, and also to add a small café to help local residents have somewhere to meet out of season. The shop also has some parking which is a real asset in the area as car parking charges are high in Polzeath.
The reception in the village to the news that the shop has been saved has been overwhelmingly positive. It has been a long process, with some tough opposition from determined developers who wanted to knock the shop down and replace it with holiday flats. The new owners have been busy refurbishing the shop and restoring some of its original features and are now looking for a tenant to run it. They’d like someone with a real sense of community who can build on the shop’s loyal following but also bring it forward to be the focal point of the community again. Their ideal tenant would take on the empty shop, stock it and run it. The new owners are hoping the shop will also have a local focus in the products the tenant stocks. They’re also hoping to have guest chefs in the summer who can use the outdoor space to bring something fresh to this part of North Cornwall.
The shop has active Twitter and Instagram accounts and they’ve already had messages of support from former customers throughout the UK. Judith can be contacted on armstrongjudith13@gmail.com or on 07816 538949 to enquire about the tenancy.
