Pub diversifies to be able to cope with future storms
A CARMARTHENSHIRE pub has opened a shop and diversified as lockdown measures start to lift.
The Cresselly Arms in the village of Pontargothi, between Carmarthen and Llandeilo, has launched a bespoke village shop on the premises alongside its pub trade.
It is called Pontargothi Store and stocks everything from everyday essentials to a fresh selection of sandwiches, pasta pots, pastries and cakes, all locally sourced as much as possible.
For landlords Amanda Philpin and Gary Trickett, the aim has been to bring something different to the village, something they felt was needed.
To say the last year has been testing for the couple is an understatement.
The forced closure of pubs during Covid-19 lockdowns since last March hit every business, but for the Cresselly Arms the force of the blow was particularly devastating, for it meant yet another period without trade.
Storm Callum and Storm Dennis hit this corner of Carmarthenshire in 2018 with such ferocity that both storms flooded the pub inside and out.
The pub has suffered flooding three times in total since 2018, most recently in December 2019, and in January and February last year, just a month before the biggest storm of all: coronavirus.
While the pub reopened last summer after lockdown, just days before Christmas the pub, and the rest of the hospitality and retail sectors, were plunged into lockdown again, which is only now set to be lifted in Wales.
The pub was set to reopen with outdoor trade from April 26, but ahead of that it was the shop doing trade, starting last week.
Amanda said: “We have been at the pub for five years and have been flooded nine times in that time.
“Storm Callum was the worst but February 2020 was also bad for us, then the pandemic hit.
“So while the first few weeks of lockdown were good to spend with our five children, we then had to sit down and think what can we do, what else can we do to diversify our income?”
It was then that the idea of a village shop was formed and the ball started rolling.
Amanda said: “We asked people locally if they thought a shop was a good idea and the response was 100% yes.
“We are using an outbuilding at the pub in which Gary raised the floor level so that it will not be flooded should it happen again.
“It means the shop can always be run even if the pub is hit again by flooding. The community wants a shop and it’s between Carmarthen and Llandeilo which hopefully will mean passing trade as well for us.
“We are looking forward to welcoming people.”