Balvicar Stores

[OorWully]

Hello, I'm a 'dammed furriner' and live a long way away, but I have an interest in the community. I've also been pointed to this by a friend.

It seems to me - and many others - that a viable village shop is essential to the well-being of a community. My neighbours thought so too, so they banded together, called in 'knowhow' and 'activism' from all corners of the community, and built this.....http://www.freshfordvillage.co.uk/pages ... roject.php

Yes, it's 'elsewhere'. Yes, there were plenty of 'naysayers'. But there it is - and it's profitable. Most of the village shops around here have activists willing to share their hard-won knowledge of what worked for them.....

Best wishes

'OorWully'

[NickB]

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Hi OorWully, thanks for a very informative and uplifting link.

There are community shops in this neck of the woods as well - at Appin and more recently Tayvallich. As with Freshford the Tayvallich shop was taken over by the community when no commercial buyer could be found. I think community shops are a great idea when a village finds itself suddenly shopless, and in Scotland there is excellent socal legislation enshrining the community 'right to buy' if a property comes on the market.

The situation here is rather different at the moment as the shop is a thriving business and it is pretty much certain that a buyer will be found. Also, the premises are leasehold and not for sale - not in itself a barrier to the community running the shop, but they would not 'own' it in the conventional sense and the Community Right To Buy legislaton does not apply.

So - at the moment all this talk of community ownership is somewhat premature. If a community group does want to buy the business then they should put a business plan together, arrange the finance and approach the selling agent. If at some future date Seil did find itself about to become shopless then this would be a very valid and urgent discussion and myself and my wife would be at the front of the queue to offer help and relevant advice, but that is unlikely to happen in the next few years so this whole discussion is really wholly academic at this juncture.

Both myself and the owners of the shop are concerned that this fervent discussion of community ownership could lead a casual observer to conclude that there is no smoke without fire and that the shop was in danger of closing. This could in turn prejudice a sale, which is not in anyones' interests. I would therefore just like to repeat that the shop is most emphatically not in danger of closing at any time in the near future and any person or group interested in taking the business on should go through the regular channels or organise a meeting in a real place rather than engage in fruitless speculation on a public forum.

[Sandy MacSeil]

I can't see how a thread full of eulogies about how magical the local shop is could possibly be suggesting that the shop is "in danger of closing" and the fact that some locals are concerned and motivated lest it might become less than brilliant is hardly a matter for you or A & J's realistic concern. I think there is some drama queen stuff going on.

[longshanks]

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Both myself and the owners of the shop are concerned that this fervent discussion of community ownership

Nick, this is getting plain silly.
There has been no "fervant discussion of community ownership". Its been mentioned but, blimey, hardly fervant discussion !

To Alistair/Jean:
Nick implies that you are concerned about these threads on our community forum.
The vast majority of us only wish you the best.
If you really are upset a quick post from one of you on here will result in an immediate cessation of discussion and, probably a few boxes of choccies and bottles of pinot-grigiot delivered to your door pretty pronto.
Please let us know yourselves.
LongShanks

[Sandy MacSeil]

Well said, Shankers. We all thank A & J for years of fantastic hard work and incredible improvements to the shop. None of us wants you to go. Why not just stay? But, whatever happens, you mustn't be at all upset by this e-discussion. It is only proving how much we really value you and the shop, especially those of us who remember the old days and recognise with gratitude how much you have transformed it. It's just natural, in these days of t'internet, that this kind of local chat should go on. And it's just possible that something might have come out of it. However, there's a slight problem in that mr admin man tends to want to dominate and dramatise and pontificate and basically we just want you to know that we are actually your allies in all this and that we would like you to tell us directly what you are thinking. By the way, Shankers, Plantagenat, whoever you are, I'm not sure that folk who have their own shop full of white wine and chocolates need more of these delivered to their door. Something they don't have in bulk would be better!

[Maggie]

Any news ?

[Pentlandpirate]

ssssssssssssshhhhhhh! You're not allowed to discuss Balv..............er... the shop or you get sent here http://www.seilchat.co.uk/viewforum.php?f=5&start=0

[Maggie]

Well, they say no news is good news, but what is good news?

[longshanks]

Well, they say no news is good news, but what is good news?

I think you'll find, Maggie, that there is no news because there is no news.

Clarity Shanks (elucidating by choice)

[moonraker]

i think it has great potential for more affordable housing great site :English Flag :English Flag
the shop should be moved down to easdale village :English Flag :English Flag
where all other traders are :English Flag :English Flag
seafari and co would cert benefit :English Flag :English Flag :English Flag

[Seil Blubber]

Balvicar is the centre of the island, where real people live Moonie - not a twee little tourist postcard village full of holiday lets, so empty in the Winter that the pub closes for half the week. There IS a shop in Ellenabeich already, selling postcards, ice-cream and Seafari tickets. I expect the real shop will be remaining in Balvicar for the forseeable future.

And when you say more affordable housing what exactly do you mean? I don't see any affordable housing being built on the island at the moment.

[oldgit]

Hi all
Two of my local villages (Kirkmichael and Straiton in Ayrshire) now have community-run village shops. The Kirkmichael shop has just opened in the past few weeks and many of my close friends are actively involved in it. We don't have a post office but, even so, the work and commitment needed has been huge. And you do have to be able to get on with many people who may not be doing things the way you would. Having said that, we have a shop now and the community is much closer because of it. The village is seeking EU funding to subsidise the salary of a manager as everyone recognises that you cannot depend completely on volunteers indefinitely - it's just too much work.