As you may know we closed for a little over three weeks to do a huge refurbishment of the shop and Post office.  After many years, this cornerstone of Aldbourne was definitely in need of a little TLC.  The flooding and adverse weather conditions we have all been experiencing had begun to cause problems both visibly and behind the scenes.  Storm Henk in 2023 had ruined the floor, and affected the cooling system of the deli fridge (which we later found out had been in situ for over 25 years, because it was too big to fit through the door!). Moreover we were constantly living in fear of the well once again being overwhelmed and flooding the building again.  Living upstairs above the shop we had begun to smell damp, and we didn’t know where it was coming from. Moreover the electrical circuits were being constantly overwhelmed, and don’t get us started on the connectivity issues, dust and crumbling walls!  Its seemed time for a little attention, and as we had been here for a few years we started to have a plan of how a new layout could work.  Its had become very clear that the Post office was in an awkward place at the front of the shop, lacking privacy and safety, especially with all the new banking services we offer.  After a visit from Martin Roberts, the then Chief Retail officer at at POL a plan was set in motion and we began to reimagine and re design the shop and post office area.  There was never a good time, and of course we hd originally tried to do the work at sensible times like January, but life has twists and turns and bringing it together at the same time proved challenging.  Finally, with time ticking and our funding for The new Post Office are running out, we managed to align all the people we needed and we closed down for three crazy weeks at the end of June/beginning of July for three weeks.  We are so fortunate that we managed to do such a level of work within that time frame, and we were very worried as it went on for a week longer than hoped.  We ripped the whole entire interior out and started again, new floor, new walls, new fridges, new shelving, and flood resilience works to the well.

As always our valued customers were so supportive, and we thank you all for your encouragement and kindness.  As anyone knows, building works are very stressful, but we all laughed and muddled our way through it, with lots of sausage rolls to keep us going! we re-opened on Wednesday 16th July, and we have been so happy to hear such wonderful feedback from all of you.  Its a big improvement, both to shop in, and to work in, and we are so happy to have given this wonderful shop, the love it needed to keep moving onwards and upwards.  The importance of a village shop and Post office is even more apparent, and we encourage you all to support this valuable service and keep it here for the next generation.

We still have more plans. to expand and extend the cafe area at the back and utilise the space for a larger kitchen, so we can offer you more of the food you love!

Have you been in to see the renovations yet? We look forward to you seeing the improvements and enjoying the space.  We will be planning a  relaunch party, with POL, so keep your eyes peeled for an announcement.   Here’s to many more years of  Aldbourne Post Office, Cafe and Deli!