Cunningsburgh shop to close on Sunday
The shop in Cunningsburgh is closing after generations of being in business.
Owner Jane Leask has made the decision to shut North Bridge Stores after experiencing a drop in trade.
She has run the shop for the last seven years.
The sharp decline follows the continuing popularity of the Tesco supermarket in Lerwick and the end of petrol sales in the village three years ago.
Mrs Leask was too upset to speak, however she did say she expected to keep the shop open until Sunday for the sale of Sunday papers.
The decision to close means Cunningsburgh will be left with no convenience store. Decades ago the village hosted no fewer than four shops.
One Cunningsburgh resident, Jim Nicolson, said: “The rural communities are dying in Shetland, in spite of councils past and present over the years saying that we have to keep them alive.”
james A. Pottinger
When I was at School in Hamnavoe up to 1950 there were two general stores and one butcher in Hamnavoe. a part time boot repairer at Brough, and one shop at Freefield and another just over the Brig.
richard barton
same thing is happening here in canada with our village shops the distance involved to run down the road 10 miles or so to the supermarket is often the same money after you pay for petro–we live here in godmanchestor quebec canada on the us border so buy petro in the usa at 50p a litre and groceries at a franction of the price in canadian supermarkets while still supporting the local shop—i find it interesting the in the out skerries with only 70people they are able to support 2 shops—all the best—look forward to hearing from shetlanders