April 2009 - Community Shops & Local Businesses
The club was delighted to have hosted a slightly different April meeting at the Abbotts Ann Village Hall where we enjoyed a superb meal catered by Emma Way of ‘Taste’ catering.
In the spirit of the evening there was a Fayre of local producers and others who joined us at the hall to show their wares and by 7 pm we had 40 Ladies (and 1 Gentleman) gathered together in the Hall. The atmosphere was bustling and the noise deafening! The club was delighted to welcome five new members this month, Julia Homan, Rachel Hogan, Sarah Evans, Sarah-Jayne Cooper and Anna Sadowski, as well as eight guests who came along to find out a little more about the club. Our speaker for the evening was John Barlow from the Abbotts Ann Village shop, who was invited to share with us the experience he and a team of local residents had of saving his local village shop from closure…It is hard to imagine Abbotts Ann without the award winning, picturesque village shop which stands in the heart of the village and having listened to John Barlow speak of the journey to get it where it is today, it is clear that the success of the shop is not a matter of chance but an example of a strong community pulling together to achieve something quite exceptional. In the late nineties, the premises which previously housed the village shop were sold and the village shop no longer had a permanent home. This was a blow to the local community who valued their local shop so much that they formed a committee with the aim of finding both a new team of people to run their village shop, and a new home for it. Over the course of two years, the committee carried out endless fundraising activities, liaised with other successful village shops in the surrounding villages and worked with the local authorities and planning until the village shop which stand today eventually arrived. So what is it that makes Abbotts Ann an award winning shop? From my own experience it is the warmth and friendliness of the staff that always make visiting the shop a pleasure. Furthermore, the stock of locally sourced, high quality produce available give the shop a USP not found in the bigger chain supermarkets and stores. There is also the freshly baked bread and the opportunity to stop for a cup of coffee and a chat which act as a draw to many of the local people. Abbotts Ann is a good example of what can be achieved, and what is still being achieved, by a small but strong community. The village shop is, in part, staffed by volunteers from the local community and without this continuing support survival would be that bit harder. Abbotts Ann village shop is clearly a successful business from which others can learn. Although at parallel with many of our businesses, the common practices of ‘careful business planning’ and ‘finding out and listening to what our customers want’ are surely the key to any successful business! The next meeting is on 5th May at the Red Lion, Clanville and the topic will be Acupuncture, presented by our own Maureen Phelps. Please come along to support our member and learn more about this fascinating topic. There are many interesting and varied activities coming up and new members are always welcome. For further information about joining the Andover Women in Business Club please contact Caroline Gilham, President, 01264 710475 or Annette Hender, Membership Secretary, 01264 316128.
Next Meetings
| Date | |
|---|---|
| 07/09/2010 | AWIBC AGM |
| 05/10/2010 | Finding Florence - The story of Florence Nightingale, how it was researched, written and staged |
| 02/11/2010 | Network Meeting |
| 07/12/2010 | AWIBC Christmas Party |
