The owner of a village furniture store and farm shop says she will “miss it dearly” as rising bills have forced the decision to close its doors.
Caroline Darby, who runs Silver Apple Furniture in Buckminster, near Grantham, with Faz Ladha, plans to close the furniture showroom and farm shop on October 11, after seven years of trading in the village.
She said friendships with customers had made the decision particularly difficult.
Its tea room, which Caroline’s sister Lorraine Wright ran, closed on August 31.
Caroline said electricity bills had climbed from about £350-£400 to £1,200 a month, while insurance costs had almost tripled.
“You’re just not making any profit anymore because the bills go up, and that’s where your money goes,” she said.
With their contract due for renewal and Faz ready to move on, Caroline considered continuing alone but decided it would prove too much.
Caroline said: “It’s all the people that have become friends. I mean, you get all the loyal customers. All the villagers come.”
Weekly grocery trips often turned into lengthy chats, while villagers gathered for tea and cake. Ramblers, cyclists and motorcyclists also visited the tea room for breakfast.
“I’ll miss it dearly, but you can’t keep going just for that, can you?” she said.
Caroline also recalled residents arriving unprompted at 6am to help put up a marquee for the business’s markets.
“We never asked them; they just came, and that’s the community,” she said.
Villagers organised a surprise leaving party on August 29, bringing cakes, flowers and gifts.
“It was absolutely wonderful how the villages, not just Buckminster but all of them, embraced us and brought that village community.”
Silver Apple previously traded at Grantham’s old Spitalgate School.
Faz joined Caroline shortly before the move to Buckminster. The pair took on the premises in 2018, renovating two warehouses to open the furniture showroom in August 2019.
During the pandemic, she launched a pop-up farm shop after the village convenience store closed, bringing in milk, meat and bread suppliers.
Customers from surrounding villages joined those shopping for essentials and later asked her to keep it going.
She said some pieces brought back memories for customers, who bought them to take home or use in their own pubs, restaurants and cafes.
She said the Catlins bench appealed to buyers who remembered visiting the venue. Other customers bought items to furnish their pubs, restaurants and cafes.
Caroline urged people to support small independent businesses, saying shoppers had continued buying online after the pandemic.
The closing-down sale continues at Manor Farm, Stainby Road, until October 11, with furniture discounts of up to 50 per cent.
Caroline also plans to donate remaining stock to the Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire Air Ambulance, giving the charity the opportunity to choose items after the closure.
“I just think they do an excellent job,” she said.
Faz plans to pursue private carpentry work, while Caroline intends to take a break before deciding her next step.
She thanked customers who had supported the business in both Grantham and Buckminster.
“It’s been an absolute pleasure, and I will miss them all,” she said.