We are campaigning to save our village shop following months of bad luck that have left the owners tens of thousands of pounds in debt.

Barton Stacey Post Office & Stores has been a lifeline for our rural Hampshire community for over two centuries.

Kevin and Lisa bought the shop in 2018. Despite no retail experience the couple made it work. With investment, enthusiasm, and big smiles, Kevin and Lisa built up the business so that when the Covid lockdowns hit and the supermarkets ran out of stock they kept the parish well fed. They set up a delivery service that brought bags of groceries to hundreds of self-isolating families, while themselves working 200 hours a week.

The couple put the money they'd earned during the pandemic back into the business. They doubled the size of their little shop so residents wouldn't have to drive many miles to get everything they needed.

But the builders let them down. The project ran massively over time and budget. Nothing was finished. The roof was never put on and the new ceiling and floor were destroyed in the autumn rainstorms. Substandard materials had been used and several supporting walls found to have been left in a dangerous condition. New drainage failed inspection and the central heating system needed expensive repair. The things that still need to be fixed are too numerous to list.

The builders even refused to hand over the purchased new shopfront or to return the deposit for a CCTV system that was never installed. The couple's legal insurers sympathised but could not find the builder had any assets to make recovery action worthwhile.

As if things couldn’t get any worse the cost of living crisis began; the shop's overheads soared, while takings plunged, leaving the 213-year-old business in critical condition (though local residents have rallied round since this was made known).

Kevin and Lisa have already spent an additional £60k over budget, and remaining completion and corrective works are set to cost £45k more. With their savings gone, and maxed out on loans, the couple just don’t have all the money needed to finish the work. Our village shop will therefore remain on a knife's edge indefinitely without significant financial help.

* Our story has been featured on BBC South Today and in the Hampshire Chronicle.

Why Save Our Shop?

Apart from being an important part of local history, the shop remains a vital community asset:

• The only grocery store for miles

• Used by people who can’t easily travel for essential supplies or social interaction

• A ‘high street banking’ outlet at a time when banks are closing

• With no GP or chemist in the parish, the owners run a free prescriptions collection service

• Charitable and community groups use the shop to fundraise

• The shop employs local people and sells Hampshire produce

Additionally, other local homeowners risk losing thousands from the value of their own properties because house prices drop an average 5% when the last local shop closes.

Please donate to get the essential works completed and ensure our village shop has a future, or get in touch with Kevin and Lisa if you can help in any other way. Thank you.

Barton Stacey Post office, circa 1910