Husband and wife Lisa and Paul Cousin, who recently opened the popular farm shop Sharon’s Shed in Gainsborough, said they “love the location” of their shop in Lord Street.
Paul and Lisa, who already run a separate business in Gainsborough, opened the new store in May this year, ignited by a passion to “provide the community with good food.”
Paul said: “Lord Street is my favourite street within this ‘market area’. I feel like there’s a bit of hustle and bustle about it; I think this street has real potential to add to what’s already here.”
Lisa added: “It’s a nice area and I feel like it’s really up and coming with a lot of passionate business people starting out down here.”
As self-confessed foodies, the couple wanted to create a shop that served the local community with organic, local and fresh produce. Their shop is well-stocked with fresh and exotic fruit and vegetables, cheese, organic foods, vegan and gluten-free produce.
They proudly support local food suppliers and have fresh goods such as freshly baked bread, sourdough and pastries delivered from local bakeries for their store.
Customers can even make their own peanut butter made from just 100% roasted peanuts using the peanut butter machine in their shop.
Paul said: “Customers love it because it’s interactive, there’s no palm oil or added ingredients and mostly importantly, it tastes amazing. Customers have made all sorts of flavour combinations, it’s been great to hear what they’ve come up with.”
One of the first sights when walking into the shop is the impressive and inviting honey wall, which Lisa said, “reflects their personalities”.
She said: “Paul loves honey, he’s like Winnie the Pooh, and I love bees. So, the honey wall came to life and shows the importance of bees and the benefits of local honey for hay fever and other things. That was the inspiration for providing different types of honey and bee products that have been ethically sourced.”
Shop renovated through THI Scheme
The shop’s landlord, who owns other premises within the town, recently restored the building, with support from West Lindsey District Council’s Townscape Heritage Initiative (THI), which provides grant funding to support the restoration of historical buildings in Gainsborough’s town centre.
The £1.9 million THI project is supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund and has also received further funding from the Levelling Up Fund.
Lisa and Paul said they are delighted with their landlord and the support they have received as new tenants.
Lisa said: “The landlord is passionate about his buildings and his tenants. He’s been fantastic for all the businesses down here that he looks after.
“It’s like a little community on Lord Street, we’re all cheering each other on and trying to help each other out. As we’ve got vans, we picked up a desk for one of our neighbouring businesses recently. It’s like being back in the sixties when people helped their neighbours. There’s a lot to love about this street, the building and our corner location.”
Speaking about the future, the couple of great plans for their shop and the overall health of the town.
Paul said: “My long-term plan is for the store to stand on its own and the people of Gainsborough to love it and get all this fresh produce and these health benefits. This is our passion, we care about it and we enjoy it.”
Invest in Gainsborough
Gainsborough is a thriving town that is becoming a popular destination for businesses, residents and workers.
West Lindsey District Council’s £18 million Thriving Gainsborough regeneration plan creates a range of opportunities for development and investment in Gainsborough’s historic town centre.
For more information, visit: https://investgainsborough.com/invest/ or contact our growth team to arrange a discussion: [email protected]