| County | Devon, South West |
|---|---|
| Postcode | EX5 2RQ |
| Opened | 1994 |
| Post Office | Yes |
| Management | Volunteer |
| Legal | Other |
| Premises | Previous shop |
View a map of where to find us
9am - 1pm, 2pm - 6pm Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday
9am - 1pm Wednesday and Saturday
10am - 12pm Tuesday and Thursday
9am - 1pm, 2pm - 6pm Monday
9am - 12pm Tuesday and Thursday
Click here to visit the website
In addition to the usual groceries & provisions, household goods, stationery & confectionery, customers can also take advantage of the home grown or home-made produce that members sell through the shop, such as:
Other services include:
Talaton Village Shop was one of the first shops that ViRSA advised.
The Shop Committee is delighted that the shop and Post Office have been awarded the Queen''s Jubilee Award for voluntary servic by groups in the community. They would like to thank Norman Foster, Diana Spencer and Rose Gosney for nominating them. 1400 groups were nominated from all over the U.K. and then 300 of these were put before the Queen''s Golden Julilee committee who selected 200 to represent their regions.
We are one of the 16 groups from the whole of the South West, from Cornwall to Gloucester and including Dorset, to have been honoured with this award.
The Queen''s Golden Jubilee Award, quote, "recognises and rewards excellence in voluntary activities carried out by groups of people in the whole of the U.K., who volunteer their own time to enhance and improve the quality of life and opportunities for individuals or others in their community."
That is exactly what the staff of the shop have been doing for the past 9 1/2 years. This group of people have turned up day on day, week on week and year on year to do their bit because they truly believe that Talaton is a better place to live because of its unique shop.
There is no money involved with this award but there us Honour and Prestige. We use the crown logo on our notepaper and packaging. (That is if we ever have our own carrier bags!) We will certainly put it on our shop signs.
One winning group in each region was selected to have their award presented by the Queen. Alas, not us. Four of us went to County Hall on 15th July where the Lord Lieutenant of Devon presented us with our certificate with the citation and a piece of commemorative crystal.
Whatever lies ahead, we at the Village Shop and Post Office will go on ser4ving the community with a Royal Crown to guide us.
Article from Edition 3, 2003 of Talking Shop
Talaton Village Shop had been run by the same family for three generations when the owner decided to close in September 1993. Competition from the supermarkets at Honiton and Exeter had proved too great. However, the village had been put on notice that the shop would close and a Rescue Committee was formed which was fortunate in securing the goodwill of the owner, who generously offered the shop premises on a lease.
John Carter, a local pig farmer, and also Chairman of the Parish Council said, “All of a sudden when the shop had gone you realised that the heart of the village had gone also.” John contacted ViRSA and the Devon Community Council who suggested circulating a questionnaire amongst the 140 households of the village, 120 of whom replied that they wanted to keep a village shop open. With the help of ViRSA a scheme was prepared and money was raised to form an Association. Out of the woodwork came a host of hitherto unknown village talents. An accountant, a solicitor, an estate agent, decorators and a wonderful band of women who organised not merely a rota system of volunteer shop assistants but also devised the stocking and ordering programme.
The shop re-opened in February 1994 and the first four months’ trading has exceeded the financial targets. The Talaton Village Shop sells local produce like fresh eggs, potatoes, chutneys, jams, and even embroidery.
The venture has been a success not least because of all the hard work that goes in day by day but equally because of the careful planning and the strong disciplines which have to be exerted when running a tight ship.
Good news travels fast and it was not long before a message was received from Simione la Rotonda, a village in the centre of the lavender growing district of Provence which was also in the process of re-opening its village shop. Messages of goodwill and presents have been exchanges and doubtless one thing will lead to another.
Quite apart from providing a much needed service in the village, the revival of the village shop has given a great sense of achievement to those many people who are involved in the project.
Village morale now stands high!
Article from Talking Shop, Issue Two, June 1994
The till in the village shop at Talaton in Devon is ringing again this week because local residents refused to allow the business to die. They are the first to benefit from a new organisation formed to help small shops and post offices survive. Their example is being followed by other villages around the country.
The Talaton shop had been run by the same family for three generations when the owner, Sue Woodley, suddenly decided to put up the shutters last September. Competition from the big supermarkets in Honiton and Exeter had proved too great.
Within hours, however, a rescue committee had formed under John Carter, a local pig farmer who is chairman of the parish council. “All of a sudden, when it had gone, we realised the heart of the village had gone too,” Mr Carter said.
“The school had gone. The church had been amalgamated with another parish and we suddenly found the last essential part of our village lives was disappearing.”
A questionnaire among the 120 households found that 109 wanted to see the shop open. Most were even prepared to pay money for a service they had passively watched die. They had soon collected £7,000 in membership fees, shares and donations.
One villager agreed to open a post office in her house as a temporary measure and the rescue committee went to work. “It’s amazing how much expertise you have in a village when you ask,” Mr Carter said. “We had a surveyor, a solicitor, painters, electricians and builders.”
He said most of the money raised came from selling £50 shares in the co-operative. “People won’t necessarily get any money back, but just by keeping the shop open they are increasing the value of their property.”
The rescue committee approached the Village Retail Services Association for advice. ViRSA was formed in January by Derek Smith, a retired farmer who led a successful fight to save the shop as Halstock in Dorset in 1991. He decided to pass on his experience and set up a non-profit-making organisation under the slogan “use it or lose it”.
“Village shops are not good at advertising themselves and parish councils are lazy about backing initiatives,” Mr Smith said. “But the village shop is an essential service and has to be sold as such. There are no fortunes to be made but it is very rewarding. With a gaggle of committed people you can keep a shop open and make it work for the community.”
ViRSA advised the Talaton committee to set up a rota of volunteers. Villagers were asked what they most wanted to see the shop keep in stock. A licence to sell alcohol was obtained as an additional facility and opening hours were fixed to ensure the shop was open when people said they were most likely to use it.
Five women agreed to go for retail training with the Rural Development Committee so they could manage the shop and train the others. Trish Walker, the wife of a Virgin Airline pilot, said: “The shop helps us to keep an eye on the old folk and generally provide a place where people can meet and talk. Our prices are low enough to compete with the supermarkets.
“We are getting fresh eggs and potatoes from the local farmers and after only a week trade is booming. We have got our heart back again.”
Article from the Times, 10 March 1994
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