I’ve no plans to retire, says shopkeeper, 82
WHEN MAY Stocks noticed a steady stream of hikers turning up at her isolated farmhouse asking for milk and eggs, she took the plunge and decided to open a shop there.
Now at 82, Mrs Stocks is one of Britain’s longest-serving shopkeepers and has no plans to retire.
She said her store in Colden near Heptonstall, remained an essential part of the area after almost half a century of independent trading.
The shop, which sits close to the Pennine Way, was built from an empty storage shed
and initially sold just a few essential items. But Mrs Stocks has since completed two extensions, with her “Aladdin’s cave” store now offering everything from champagne to shampoo and chocolate.
The great-grandmother, who has lived in the area all her life, said the secret to running a successful rural business was loving a good conversation.
She said: “You want a lot of patience and you’ve got to be able to converse with everybody.
“You just treat everybody alike and it’s time-consuming but I’ve enjoyed it because I like talking to people.”
Mrs Stocks told her late husband Michael that she wanted to start up a shop after noticing a rise in young hikers asking for essential food at their farm.
She said: “I said to Michael, ‘I might as well open a shop’ – and that’s how it started.
“Originally we just sold milk and eggs and crisps, pop and ice cream and things like that, and then it just grew from there.
“We’ve got a good selection now of everything and it’s gone beyond what we expected.”
Mrs Stocks said her clientele had changed dramatically over the years and she has expanded the store to meet their evolving needs.
She said: “When we started 50 years ago, you got the French, the Italians, the Germans, when they all finished college over there.
“It was a cheap holiday to walk the Pennine Way but it’s not cheap now – it’s expensive.”
She added: “People who are coming now are the middleaged people. There are one or two young ones but I’d say it’s people who are in their 50s and 60s.”
It’s time consuming but I’ve enjoyed it because I like talking to people.