Having been accepted as tenants by Thurlow Estates, we moved into Thurlow Village Stores late in May 1976. The shop was once named "London House", presumably because of the post-run to the capital. It is very old, with small rooms, low ceilings with beams and uneven floors. A very low beam in the lower half of the shop, even with a notice of "Duck or Grouse", has given innumerable people a nasty headache.

Since we had already been running a Co-op shop and Post Office it was work we knew, but we were both very enthusiastic to be our own bosses. We did a little reorganisation before opening up the shop, but we didn't follow the trend of that time for self-service and remained counter-service. Shop hours started at 8 a.m. through to 6 p.m., but during the first half of our stay we had the mail arrive between 6 and 6.30 a.m., to be sorted then delivered by two post ladies, Mrs. Kath Crooks and Mrs. Townsend, followed by Mrs. Leatherland, Mrs. Nancy Smith, Mrs. Mary Atherton and Mrs. Rene Sergeant, a reliable relief.

We stocked all general grocery lines, gardening items, toys, stationery, plus paraffin and at a later time we had a wine and spirit licence. We had bread delivered daily and a call three times a week from a good greengrocer. Other than that we maintained the stock by cash-and-carry visits ­ twice, sometimes three times a week using Cambridge, Bury St. Edmunds and Ipswich, which stretched the days to much longer than just the shop hours.

We were supported so well by the Thurlows and Bradleys, and helped by passing trade, that it was quite active. We had the help of Mrs. Pat Smith on a part-time basis for several years, as honest and straightforward a person as you could ever meet.

Old-age pension days were mainly Monday and Thursday, and since older people are usually people of habit, if somebody didn't appear within the usual time there would be some concern. Thursday afternoons Mrs. Prigg, who lived in the thatched cottage at the top of Little Thurlow Hill and was a daily customer, would coincide with Mrs. Louie Smith, Mrs. Ivy Paxman, plus others, and it was a great get-together. Another daily customer was "Judder" (Mr. George Jeffery), nearly always in before 9 o'clock with his usual greeting of "Hallo you old B...", or "Hello my darling".