The Wonder of Wellies

Television and radio star Chris Evans was in my neck of the woods today, launching the new Wellworths store in Dorchester. There was a celebratory feel and chaos at the pick' n' mix as the shop opened in a blaze of publicity. Wellworths is where the old Woolworths store used to be. And it opened thanks to the bravery of former Woolworths manager Claire Robertson, who has taken over the shop and is running it with her old colleagues, who would otherwise be out of a job.
Long after Chris Evans left, heading for London to do his drivetime radio show, the shop and indeed the town was heaving. Tills were ringing, there were smiling faces among the stressed ones and, in true Woolworths-style, the Easter eggs were on the shelf next to gardening products.

Actually, what was on the shelves seemed very Woolworths-like. But Claire says she'll stock whatever the public wants to buy. And she is keen to keep things local if she can. Particularly impressive was the massive amount of open floor space at the front of the shop, making getting in and out so much easier, and the height of the shelves. You can now see from one end of the store to the other. You don't feel claustrophobic any more.

So it's fingers crossed that all goes well once the hullabaloo dies down. It's amazing to think that only a month or so ago, customers were moaning that the prices were too high on the last day of the Woolworths sale. Few of them cared about people's livelihoods. Today they were rejoicing. What a difference a few days (and Chris Evans) makes.

Good luck Wellworths.

That's about it
Love Maddie x