Felicity Perkin, is looking forward to a busy year ahead after a successful first three months at Felicity’s Farm Shop in Morecombelake.
Having previously run stalls at various garden shows and the Dorset Garden Party shop in Charmouth, Felicity opened the doors to Felicity’s Farm Shop last November.
The shop breathed new life into the former Frodshams garage building, which had stood empty for a number of years.
Felicity decided it was “now or never” after the death of two close family members and so, with the help of sister Penny and son Tom, she opened the farm shop.
Felicity had previously spent 20 years working as a Nurse Practioner for Dr Becker’s Medical Centre in Charmouth.
The farm shop stocks local produce as well as offering garden accessories, a range of plants and herbs, animal feed and fuel for home fires.
The shop also offers a take away service, named “The Filling Station”, providing hot food and daily specials made with local produce.
WHAT has the reaction been like since you opened?
It’s been very positive. Everybody has been absolutely great, really encouraging. Loads of people have been up to see us and they have been really nice. We’ve had lots of suggestions about what we could do or what we might think of stocking, which we have tried to accommodate as much as we can. We need to know what people want and we are quite happy to get it.
WHAT are your plans at the shop this year?
We are hoping that it’s going to get bigger and better. We have got some frozen food arriving this week and we are hoping that the take away will really start to produce lots more. We are also hoping that everyone will be able to sit outside once the weather improves. There are eight pallets of compost arriving this week and pots and seeds and all sorts of things so lots more gardening stuff, which I know a lot more about. We are hoping to embark on all sorts of things.
HAS running your own farm shop always been the dream?
I’ve been a nurse for nearly 30 years and then for the last few years things have been a bit tricky. My elderly mum, who lived with me, died and then that same year my older sister died, she was only 56, and that was horrible. My son Harry was diagnosed with type one diabetes so he has to take insulin every single day. So having to deal with all that at home and then having to go to the surgery was a bit difficult. Penny and I were always going to have a tearoom one day with roses round the door so we thought we’d better hurry up and do it before it was too late.
IS running this building a lot different to the Dorset Garden Party?
This is absolutely huge, it’s really very scary. It’s a huge building to fill, I’m responsible for an awful lot of staff and I know the horticulture bit but the food is completely new. I know vaguely about farming and I know an awful lot about growing things but its very different. It’s a challenge but I’m enjoying it.
HAS the harsh winter affected you?
It’s difficult, we opened on November 10th, which was a beautiful day and I think we had the most horrendous gales after that and we suddenly realised that some of our plans for maybe a bit of a pergola or something were just not going to work. It was so cold and everybody was absolutely brilliant, the staff and the customers, because it really was horrid and I can’t afford to heat the place properly. They all put on tonnes of clothes and just got on with it, it was brilliant. I think we became a municipal car park for all of Ryall and all the people who’d come on holiday and were staying in the National Trust cottages parked here so that was nice. I think it probably helped us in terms of sales of logs and coal and potatoes and stewing steak that sort of thing. Christmas was lovely and lots of people ordered a turkey from us. We’d only been open for a few weeks and they entrusted us with their Christmas lunch and it was really kind, we are very grateful for that.
DO you think people are pleased to see this building back in use?
I think so, from the feedback I get. It’s a very unprepossessing building from the outside and they come in and think ‘wow’ and they say I remember coming here for an MOT. Everybody remembers it and I think everybody is very pleased to see it back in use.
WHAT was the last book you read, film you watched and CD you listened to?
I used to read all the time and in the last few years I don’t think I’ve had time to read a book. My favourite books are Angela Thirkell’s books, they follow on from Trollope’s books about Barchester but she brought them up to modern times. I can’t remember the last time I went to the pictures and I usually fall asleep when I start watching a film. My favourite film always used to be Where Eagles Dare but I don’t know if it still is to be honest. I’ve got an old Fleetwood Mac CD on in the car at the moment.
No comments:
Post a Comment