Pupils take 'pocket-money idea' to the high street

Two pupils from Somerset have opened up their own family-run farm shop in Shepton Mallet to help reinvigorate the high street.

Sisters Laurel, 10, and Rosie, seven, are the first to take part in an "incubator scheme" in the market town.

Their fresh-produce business will occupy a space rent-free in the newly refurbished Market Place for nine months to see whether it is viable.

Local charity Interim Spaces has transformed the area thanks to an injection of a quarter of a million pounds. It specialises in taking over failing and empty commercial and high street buildings and turning them over to community use.

Laurel and Rosie are hoping to make a success of The Little Farm Shed.

The girls were selected from 27 contenders to start their retail project, which began as a way for them to earn some pocket money, by selling produce from their grandfather's farm.

Laurel said: "It has been quite busy. I would not have ever imagined working behind a till, but when we were younger we used to play shops and now it is like a dream come true."

The idea for the business came from selling eggs and produce from their Grandfather's farm to raise pocket money for them to use at Glastonbury Festival.

Their venture quickly grew from serving family and friends to serving the wider community.

Laurel claims to be the brains behind the business and Rosie crafted the fruit and veg boxes for delivery. They have since partnered with local suppliers and expanded their offerings.

As the business has grown, it has become a family operation, with support from their parents and younger brother Leonard.

Laurel said: "We started knocking on our neighbour's doors and asking friends and family if they wanted to buy any eggs?"

Their mother Jordan added: " We then started delivering to the rest of Shepton Mallet and went over to Frome, and the Midsomer Norton areas and people asked if we also sold vegetables."

Dan Simon, director of Interim Spaces, said: "The process of the Incubator is to take a business that doesn't have any high street experience, one that has the potential to prosper on the high street and give them the funding and support they need."

Mr Simon continued: "Out of all of the finalists The Little Farm Shed shop had a great story and were a good example of a small business that was doing well and needed help getting to the next level."