WHITLEY’S village shop and post office, The Toast Office, has been nominated for the ‘Village Shop of the Year’ award at the Wiltshire Life Awards 2019.
Owner Luke Johnson, who opened the shop on Top Lane in September last year, has also been nominated in the ‘Young Entrepreneur of the Year’ category. The results will be announced at a black-tie event in March next year.
“I’m very excited to receive these nominations,” Luke told Melksham News, “it was very unexpected. Weirdly, throughout this whole experience, customers will come into the shop and act shocked at how young I am – they assume that it is my parents’ business or a family business – and they tell me that I must be proud to have achieved this. But until now, I’ve not had that sense of satisfaction, as I’ve always been thinking about what could be improved.
“When I saw the email about the nominations, that’s when I felt satisfied. It helped me to focus on what I have achieved – building a community hub for people to enjoy. I’ve been in my own bubble for so long, so this puts things in perspective – to realise that what I have built is affecting lives in a positive way. That’s given me satisfaction and a real boost of enthusiasm to see what I can achieve next year. I’m chuffed!”
Soon after opening last year, The Toast Office quickly became a popular place for villagers to meet. Luke said, “The concept of a community hub began before I took over the shop when it had closed down. I lived two doors down and I could see villagers bumping into each other in the street and chatting. It’s great to give the community a space to meet.
“The Whitley demographic is older, which means that there could be people who are quite lonely after losing a partner. It’s important to create a safe place for them to meet others – even if it is just an interaction when picking up the newspaper.
“Staff are friendly and welcoming and are happy to talk to anyone who comes in the shop. And that’s how the shop has developed – from listening and speaking to customers and taking on their feedback. It’s overwhelming to become the heart of the village.
“We have cycling groups that meet here, and a mindfulness class on Wednesdays, which gives the villagers an opportunity to understand and control their emotions.
“In the coming year I hope to get more groups and classes to use the space and to also put on more events for the community like our monthly events.
“We’ve recently held events for our one-year anniversary and held live music events. Our Christmas lights switch on, which we had around 200 people turn up for, was a magical evening!”
For Christmas, The Toast Office is running an online competition to win the free hire of a snow machine for Christmas Day. Visit the Facebook page for more information: www.face book.com/TheToastOffice Whitley/
