Spotlight on The Littlebrook Courtyard

SITUATED off the busy Bath Road in the town centre, the Littlebrook Courtyard offers visitors a peaceful haven to relax, shop and take a break from the hustle and bustle.

The cosy community courtyard has all you need with a new Italian caffe, gift shops, a friendly supermarket and a shiny new salon for Melksham’s pampered pets.

Visitors can expect a warm welcome from the band of shop owners who have made it their mission to make the Littlebrook Courtyard one of the ‘must-go’ areas in the town. So why not take some time to look around and see what all the fuss is about?

A taste of Italy at Littlebrook

The finest Italian coffee and delicious homemade cakes awaits visitors to Antico Caffe in the Littlebrook Courtyard.

Since opening their doors in January to the Melksham community, the Antico team Lello, Alex and Francesco, have prided themselves on offering a warm welcome and an authentic taste of Italy to all their customers.

“The cafe is brand new, we renovated and decorated the building and we think it looks like a typical Italian caffe,” said the Antico team. “We feel like part of a small family here at Littlebrook Courtyard. The other shop owners have been very welcoming. Together we are all working to make Littlebrook a better place to visit and spend time.”

Also on the menu at Antico Caffe are pastries, paninis, omelettes and salads, with daily breakfast and lunch deals on offer. The team can also cater for parties and make cakes for special occasions.

“Everyone will be made to feel welcome when they come to Antico. We provide table service inside and outside, so you can sit back and relax, whilst we prepare your food and drinks. Customers also have access to our free wifi. But if you are on the move, a takeaway service is also available.

“We look forward to giving you a taste of Italy in the Littlebrook Courtyard.”

A personal service for your treasured memories

Local photographer Andy York, and his wife Christine, value the vast range of services they provide from their shop in the Littlebrook Courtyard, always aiming to provide the best personal service.

Andy York first started a photography business in 1992, but developed it into a photography and framing shop after he and his wife took over the current shop in 2006. Now, they offer a vast range of services including reclaimed mirrors, framing – both bespoke and ready-made – passport picture services, copying and restoration of old photographs and creative photography.

The creative photography is something Andy enjoys as it lets him and the customer’s imaginations run wild. He can digitally create scenes and create photo shoots of most themes and scenes, including mermaids, fantasy concept art and more.

Andy has an in-house studio, framing workshop and editing station, so everything is done without sending anything away. Christine York said, “We like to keep things done in-house to provide a personal service. It’s not about just selling people a frame – we like to place the photos in the frame for them.

“We understand that people’s photos are their precious memories, with some photos being their only copy. We want people to know their memories are safe with us.”

The shop can be found in the Littlebrook Courtyard, off Bath Road; a small community courtyard featuring a variety of shops.

Andy York said, “Being a part of Littlebrook is great, we all look out for each other. We also like to make new businesses feel welcome and encourage them to join in with our little community.

“We feel we need to work together as we are cut off from the main street and people often don’t know we are here. We like to keep links with each other, so if there is damage, or incidents – we can all work together to solve them and keep good relationships. It’s lovely that all the units are full.

“It will be great in the summer where people can sit in the courtyard, read newspapers, and enjoy the peaceful atmosphere. We have been here the longest, so it’s great to have been here for the progress of Littlebrook.”

Christine added, “We are very Melksham people, it’s a great town and we always look for ways to be a part of the community.”

For more information about the services at Andy York Photography visit www.andyyorkphoto          graphy.co.uk/ or call them on 01225 707688.

Find unique items for your home at Ma Maison

Ma Maison prides itself on featuring unique gifts and furnishings for your home, including items that are natural and eco-friendly.

The shop in the Littlebrook Courtyard sells soft furnishings such as throws, blankets and cushions, as well as home decor and gifts – all sourced from environmentally friendly suppliers. Their rugs, sofa throws, blankets, cushions and bags  found in-store are made from 100% recycled plastic bottles. Ma Maison also sell wicker baskets and trays from Indonesia, along with reclaimed iron coat hooks, bottle openers and toilet roll holders, handmade natural French soap, a range of bamboo towels and socks, greetings cards from Sweden and Fair trade sari journals from India.

They also stock a range of tea towels with unique designs from Provence, which are exclusive to Ma Maison in the UK.

Philip Shone, owner of Ma Maison said, “Customers refer to Ma Maison as a Bath shop without the Bath prices, which I like.

“I am currently launching an online shopping website where you can shop my stock online; there are currently a few items listed with more to come soon. I am always looking for different and unique things to bring to the shop. Things that you can’t find anywhere else.”

When asked what it’s like being a part of the Littlebrook community, Philip said, “It’s great, I’m glad the units are full, so we can start to really work together to bring Littlebrook Courtyard into the spotlight.

“It’s great that we get so much support from Waitrose, it shows that it’s not big companies versus little ones, and we all work together to bring something to the community of Melksham.

“People who use the dog groomers, where an appointment can take a few hours, can use that time to have a coffee and cake, visit the other shops in the area, or do some food shopping before picking their dog up again. We all work well together.”

For more information or to shop Ma Maison online visit www.mamaisongifts. org or call Philip on 01225 7906 33.

“We’ll treat your pet as if it was our own”

Melksham’s pampered pets can expect a VIP experience at their new home say CJ Dog & Cat Grooming at the Littlebrook Courtyard.

“We are a very welcoming and friendly team,” said owner Charlotte Jarvis. “The new facilities at the grooming salon are fresh, modern and up-to-date, offering a high quality service for your furry best friend.

“We are very passionate about what we do and love our jobs. Every dog or cat that comes to our salon is treated as if it were our own pet.”

The team at CJ Dog & Cat Grooming offer a full dog and cat grooming service, as well other services like nail clipping and a bath only service. For puppies, there is a puppy introduction service, to help them get used to the experience of being groomed before they have the full grooming service.

“Owners can leave their pet with us and go and have a wander around the Littlebrook Courtyard knowing that their pet is in a safe and secure environment and will be well looked after.

“Cat owners can also be reassured that we will schedule to see their feline friend when the salon is quiet and free from excitable dogs,” said Charlotte. “Customer satisfaction is very important to us, we want to build long-term relationships with all our customers and their pets.”

For more information about CJ Dog & Cat Grooming visit www.cjgrooming. co.uk. Appointments can be made via the website using their online booking service, which is available 24/7.

Waitrose – award-winning community store

Waitrose Melksham opened in 2010 and provides thousands of products for its customers, including those on its fish, meat and cheese counters and its bakery.

Each month, the shop’s Community Matters ‘green token’ initiative donates a share of £1,000 between three local good causes or projects, voted for by its customers. This year, the shop is also proud sponsors of the Melksham Food and River Festival.

Waitrose combines the convenience of a supermarket with the expertise and service of a specialist shop – dedicated to offering quality food that has been responsibly sourced, combined with high standards of customer service.

In addition to its 353 shops in England, Scotland, Wales and the Channel Islands, the retailer exports products to 52 countries worldwide and has nine shops which operate under licence in the Middle East. Waitrose’s omnichannel business includes the online grocery service, Waitrose. com, as well as specialist online shops including waitrose cellar.com for wine and   waitroseflorist.com for plants and flowers.

In recent months, Waitrose has been awarded the much-coveted European-wide Compassion in World Farming ‘Best Retailer Award’, the Soil Association’s ‘Best Organic Supermarket Award 2017′ and The Drinks Business’ ‘Retail Buying Team of the Year Award’.