Bridestowe’s Riverside Stores and Post Office is facing closure after 120 years of trading as customer numbers have reduced dramatically over the past six months.

The shop’s proprietors have reported an almost 50% drop in trade which they have described as financially unsustainable.

Proprietor Michaela Arthurs, who runs the shop alongside her husband Colin, said: ‘We can’t live on our current income.

‘We have stopped selling tobacco because we can’t afford it. We are now having to choose between putting stock on shelves and paying the bills.’

Mr and Mrs Arthurs have run the shop for four years and in that time Mrs Arthurs said she’d seen the shop go from ‘always bubbling’ to ‘dead’.

Mrs Arthurs added: ‘The footfall has decreased so much that it’s very worrying and it has been down for the last six months.

‘At first, we thought it was because of Christmas and the holiday season but we haven’t seen any increase since then.’

With the shop’s closure now a real possibility, the couple put out a notice to the village’s residents urging them to use the shop to prevent Bridestowe losing its only shop in the village.

In it, they write: ‘We have always appreciated and have at times been humbled by the support of the village, particularly during the events of the last two years.

‘We would like nothing more than for this to continue, and for us in turn to continue our support to the village.

‘The large downturn in trade has been a shock emotionally and financially and is unsustainable for a small business such as ours.

‘If the shop isn’t used then there is very little option but for it to close.’

They said that even small but regular purchases will be enough to keep the shop open for future generations.

So far, the letter has had little long-term effect. Mrs Arthurs explained that though she and her husband had seen a boom in customers immediately following the distribution of the letter, customer numbers had quickly fallen again.

The shop has played an important role in the village for many years having supported local events such as the Ram Roast, Christmas Open Kitchen and Christmas Market.

During the pandemic, Mr and Mrs Arthurs ensured that the shop remained open and that vulnerable members of the community, otherwise unable to get out, were still able to access essential supplies such as food and medicine.

Most recently, the shop has been handing out breakfast bags and milk to those residents who are struggling financially as the cost of living crisis continues.