1. Over 600 different lines of standard
products and groceries.
2. Fresh bread, cakes and savouries are
delivered daily by Cabin Bakery. Special requirements can, of course, be
ordered.
3. Fresh fruit and vegetables which are
sourced locally.
4. Newspapers to buy or by order.
5. Fresh fish van on a Thursday from
9.00 to 10.00
6. Every few months we organise a bulk
delivery of heating oil and because we might be ordering 50000 litres we
can negotiate a
very
healthy discount!
7. Services like photocopying and Danes
dry cleaning.
8. Products which are unique include
such things as key rings and fridge magnets with the village crest,
postcards of the village and hand made greeting cards. Seasonal items
include Christmas cards, showing views of the village and a calendar,
again with different views of the village. There is also an interactive,
multimedia CD called "Langham, a Pictorial History." The CD contains
about 1900 photographs of the village from early times until the present
day together with over 60000 words of description and the history of the
village. We hope that this will develop into an archive of photographs
of the village and any more contributions would be very gratefully
received! We would only want to borrow the photographs for a day or so.
For people who read this site but do
not live locally the local products are also available by mail order.
The
Village Shop, which had been run for many years by the Forders, closed in 2002.
With the closure of the shop the village seemed to lose its heart and its focal
point and become simply a dormitory rather than a community. The idea of trying
to set up a Community Shop came from the ladies doing the refreshments at the
Bonfire Night in 2002. After that there was almost two years of fund
raising, jumping through legal hoops and trying to remain positive in the face
of many setbacks and delays. The Community Centre was the obvious place for a
shop because it is central, well used and has a car park. However after initial
discussions with the planners it was clear that they would not give permission
for an extension to the Community Centre but would give permission for a
temporary building and so the idea of a purpose built portacabin was born. The
cabin eventually arrived on a low loader on the wet and windy morning of 13th
September 2004 and was lifted into position by a large crane. The Post Office opened
on 30th September and the whole project was completed on 16th October 2004 when the
ribbon was cut by Simon Baldock of BBC Radio Essex to open the Shop.
Trading
history:
When the Shop first opened it was a worrying time as estimates of takings were
checked against the actual takings, but in fact from the start takings have been
very encouraging. By the end of the first year of trading the outstanding loans
had been repaid. After the first year a part time, paid manageress was appointed
and this has given much more direction and also her astute buying has more than
made up for her wages! After more than five years of trading everything is
still looking very positive!
One thing which came as a great shock was prices as everyone had assumed that
our prices would have to higher than those in the supermarkets, but that it not
the case. Of course there are some things that supermarkets sell at prices which
are lower than we can buy for, but there are many items which we sell cheaper
than in the supermarkets! When one thinks that the supermarkets would buy in
bulk it makes one realise the huge profit that they are making! In practice some
of our goods are cheaper than supermarkets, some are more expensive and most are
comparable. Given the price of petrol it is better to use your local shops!
