One of the best known village shops in the Western Isles has shut after years of dwindling trade.
A shop has stood on the same site at the Clachan junction on the main route through Uist for 140 years, historically a busy staging post for travellers crossing the North Ford sandbanks between North Uist and Benbecula before a causeway was built in 1960.
Heartbroken shopkeeper, Adele Coleman, locked up the store for the last time at 6pm.
Mrs Coleman explained: “Unfortunately we have to close the business due to a drop in trade over the last four or five years.
“We have reached a point where we just can’t afford to keep going any longer.
“Its really sad -
“Hopefully, we provided a good service to our community which we can no longer do.
She added: “Its not just a shop -
“There’s a lot of elderly people here who will have difficulty in travelling further
afield to get the bits and pieces like the daily paper, milk or bread they need on
a day-
The nearest shop is six miles north or eight miles into Lochmaddy or 12 miles into Benbecula.
Many factors contributed to the demise of the store said Mrs Coleman, including a switch to internet shopping, deliveries from mainland supermarket and the general loss of customers as the population reduces.
While the economic downturn took longer to hit the islands, things “never have really picked back up here.
Its just continued to decline,” forcing islanders to be careful with their spending, she highlighted.
A lack of jobs and high unemployment also results in “people have to watch their pennies and if it means buying on the internet or doing without then that’s what they have to do.
Long gone is the busy trade during the summer tourism season which would help carry them through lean winter.
Adele Coleman said the decision to close was “stressful and devastating.”
Village shop shuts for good
18 September 2015
Adele Coleman (right) serves one of her last customers