The Village Shop in Lower Heswall has been sold - the end of an era? Not at all...

After two decades, Caroline and Gerry Cartwright have handed over the keys to the Village Shop to a new owner.

Just over a year ago, the couple put their popular business up for sale, saying that the demanding hours and early starts had become a little too much, and that it was time for someone younger to take control.

The Village Shop has long been important to Lower Heswall, often seeming like the heartbeat of the place. Caroline and Gerry sometimes felt like shopkeepers from a bygone age, with an emphasis on old fashioned customer service, courtesy and good humour, making sure that nothing felt like too much bother.

When the pandemic began, it was notable how quickly they placed seating outside the shop to help customers, especially older ones, deal with any inevitable queues caused by social distancing. The couple also set up home deliveries, making life much easier for many impacted by the restrictions that came with lockdowns.

But now the deal is done.

"It hasn't quite sunk in yet, "said Gerry Cartwright. "It's been going on for quite a long time and we can't really believe we've sold the business. But we'll still be working part-time so it's not as if it's a final goodbye. We'll still be seeing everyone."

"Yesterday was the first day under new ownership," said Caroline, "and I woke up and I thought this is great. I don't have to get up and do three hours of paperwork starting at seven in the morning to keep on top of things.

"And then we spent a Sunday afternoon in the garden at home. Jerry didn't have to do all the vouchers for all the newspapers. He didn't have to go round to the shop. It's just so different, it's so different it's hard to believe.

"We've got the best of both worlds now, because we can still see the customers, and they've become friends after 21 years, haven't they? They're not just customers - they're more than that."

"We'll be working for the new owner full-time for a month," explained Gerry, "and then we'll be doing it part-time for him after that."

The Village Shop - that For Sale sign will be coming down soon

The new owner is Simon Birchall from Hoylake. Simon has plenty of retail experience as the operator of three off-licences, and we'll be speaking to him soon about his plans for the Village Shop.

As far as Caroline and Gerry are concerned Simon isn't planning major changes - they say he seems very happy with the business he has taken on and that little will change apart from refinements and improvements.

"Simon has already met quite a lot of customers," explained Gerry, "and he said how nice they were. He seems happy with what we sell, so I think the shop will stay very much the same, especially as he settles in."

Caroline believes this is good news for her. "I'm looking forward," she said, "to taking on my new role as Head of Chatting to Customers."

It goes without saying that we wish Caroline, Gerry - and of course Simon - all the very best for the future.