Support our Shops!
Being the owner of a small ‘alimentation’ in a local village is difficult, not just at the moment, but most of the time.
Competition from the big supermarkets, on-line sales, price rises, long hours, customer expectations, not to mention the C-word… All this amounts to non-stop pressure on them. Many open early, close late, open Sundays and bank hols and still struggle to keep their heads above water.
So we thought it would be nice to honour these hard working heroes by publishing a few articles about our local village shops but written by you.
And we are delighted to share another reader’s recommendations with you, courtesy of David Hunt. If you missed Merry and Leigh Foster’s recommendations, click here.
Cave de Taxo
Open : every day
8.30am – 1.30pm (12.30pm on Sundays) / 4pm – 7pm
This small farm shop and cave have served the community well for may years. There is always a friendly welcome and a “hello” as you enter, and the produce is fresh and varied.
Even if French is not your first language, this husband and wife couple, will quickly assist and explain how you should be asking or translate the words for you (without making you feel inadequate).
Once you have surveyed the stock of food and fresh fruit and vegetables, you can also linger over the varied and exciting offer of wines, that line the shelves. As you pay for your goods and realize that you have forgotten the ever-needed baguette, they are strategically placed right by the till at the door.
This hidden gem is most definitely worth a stop and in supporting them, you retain that local service which is so imperative for the continuation of the community, a fact that has been even more evident throughout the Covid19 pandemic.
And let’s not forget, having shopped, you can always drop into the “Frank’s Bar” on the way out, always a pleasure and a chance to catch up with locals and tourists alike.
Fancy bigging up your local heroes? Get involved!
Chat with them, take a few photos, write a short, medium or long piece on who they are, how they came to be there, what they sell… anything really just to give the small shopkeepers a bit of visibility and recognition.
You don’t have to be J K Rowling. Just write as you feel and send over your scribblings to info@anglophone-direct.com
It will also be a good exercise in confidence for French learners. Here are some basic conversation starters to help you get going.
