Helen Peacocke looks back at 10 years of a beloved village store

A cluster of attractive, well-stocked shops and a Post Office stand in the middle of the historic village of Eynsham.

In the centre of this vibrant little hub in Mill Street stands The Emporium, once the premises of a Barclays Bank that came complete with a strong room and bank vault when Corin Willett took it over. But, as its name implies, it has gradually developed into a fascinating trading centre and coffee shop that meets the needs of the community.

“When it became apparent that there was no dedicated cook shop in the area, a destination shop where people could come and enjoy the hospitality, it seemed a good idea and more fun that running a High Street shop.

“It also provided me with the opportunity of working in my own community,” Corin remembers.

The Emporium opened 10 years ago stocked to the gunwales with kitchen goods, gifts and cookery books, much to the delight of Eynsham’s residents.

The Emporium also kick-started many of Eynsham’s other shops. When Corin first opened, David and Anneke Black, who trade as Worton Organic, set up a fruit and veg stall in the car park.

After a few months, Lucy and Jonathan Bowden took it over, selling produce grown themselves nearby, before moving into a shop opposite the Emporium – The Market Garden. Flowers were also for sale, now Mille-Fleurs over the road, providing Corin with a chance to expand the coffee shop when they moved.

After searching for a suitable supplier who could stock the Emporium with top estate coffees, Corin discovered Peter James, of James Gourmet Coffees, who has been supplying her from the start. It didn’t take residents long to discover that a real meeting place, a true emporium had been established, serving excellent coffee that Corin is particularly proud of.

Now, however, in the bigger coffee-shop space, delicious home-made cakes baked by members of Eynsham’s Country Market are also available and add a unique touch to the tea and coffee menus, as does the colourful selection of fresh salad items that have helped Corin’s business expand into a popular café serving light lunches.

One of her other rather popular ideas that have turned the Emporium into a destination venue are the jars of flavoured oils and vinegars produced by Vinegar Tips to provide creative cooks with a whole range of tantalising flavours that can be mixed and matched to create some really superb tastes.

So, looking back over the past 10 years, how does Corin feel? “Jolly glad, given the recession, that we created a business with the hospitality element and the ability to evolve; but it has been great fun at the same time.”

Corin’s many customers are, therefore, raising their coffee cups to toast the emporium’s successful decade, but perhaps it is Corin’s sign, hanging up outside her shop that says it all.

“Eynsham Emporium Shop & Cafe. Eat, Give, Cook. Live a little.”