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Welcome to St Dominick Community Shop.

When our local shop owners notified the village that they were planning to retire and close the shop, residents of St Dominick got together to discuss if it was possible for us to run our own community owned shop. A year later and we are very close to opening.

Much work has been done by so many, we would not have got this far without the generosity of the people who live here. Please have a look in the gallery photographs to see a record of our journey.

We hope to open in the Autumn of 2020 but our plan is to really establish and grow the business during 2021 and all the volunteers look forward to seeing friends and neighbours supporting this village initiative.

We would also like to acknowledge all the organisations that have supported us with advice and financial support. They are St Mabyn Community Shop, St Dominick Parish Council, The Plunkett Foundation, Cornwall Community Foundation, Cornwall Council Community Chest, The Co-operative Bank and the Who’d Have Thought It Inn.

We are set up as a Community Benefit Society so once we are established and begin to make a surplus we will be supporting projects and ideas that benefit the whole village. When people spend their money in the shop they will be investing in the future of the village.

We hope to see you shopping with us soon …

Gallery


New Shop Sign
Jumble Ramble		Internal Work
Internal Work

Ground Work
Cabin Arrival
Cabin Preparation

About

History

The Cornish Arms pub next to the Church was demolished in 1902 and rebuilt as a Village Stores / Post Office.

On 31 March 2019, the present owners of the Village Stores (PL12 6TD) wrote to the Clerk of St Dominic Parish Council to inform her they intended to close the St Dominic Post Office and Village Stores in the near future. Their letter includes the following: “Post Office Ltd require three months notice of resignation but, before we submit, we feel it only right the Parish Council has the opportunity to consider alternative provision, most likely by way of a community shop”.  The Post Office Ltd has subsequently informed customers the St Dominic branch “will be closing temporarily on Wednesday 09 October 2019”.

Village Debate. Two Public meetings were held in the Parish Hall on 1st and 16th May 2019, which were well attended. During these meetings, a lot of positive support was expressed around the idea of setting up and running a Community Shop within the Village. A Steering Group was formed to explore available options.

Parish Questionnaire. A questionnaire was developed and delivered to every household with the Parish Newsletter in June 2019 to ascertain whether or not a St Dominic Community Shop would be supported by the resident population. There was an overwhelming response to site it in the vicinity of the Parish Hall.

A Steering Group was formed and has held monthly meetings since the end of May 2019.  A Constitution has been established and contact made with The Plunkett Foundation.  A local adviser has attended the Steering Group meetings and is available for local support and guidance.

The Steering Group decided to register as a Community Benefit Society (CBS) regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.  This ‘model’ allows anyone to use the shop and every time money is so spent, customers are contributing to building a surplus that can, in due course, be spent on Village needs and for the greater benefit of all within the Village.  It is understood a CBS is a way of creating a Community Asset and a source of future finances for the benefit of the Community and that where villages have closed an existing commercial shop, the transition to a CBS Community-run shop has proven a positive ‘community investment’.

It is intended that such an Asset that will become an important part of life within the St Dominic Village Community.