When a local shop closes down it can be traumatic for the community, but it can also be a chance for the next owner to bring a budget and their creativity to a site and transform it into a thriving business and home once again.
The General Stores in Mathry, Pembrokeshire, closed around 2009 but even up until then it was an intriguing place, with much of the interior almost exactly the same as the days when it was open many decades previously. It was the type of 'sells everything' store reminiscent of days gone by that are now such a rarity.
With the bright red post box nestled into its wall and the former phone box, now a community library, standing guard at the front door, the property is a distinctive building in the centre of the village and has become somewhat well-known, being snapped by passers-by hungry for finding social media content for their channels and platforms.
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The shop is not the only property for sale at the site though, a new owner is getting a bundle of bonus buildings to get their renovating teeth stuck into. Around the back of the shop is Spion Kop Cottage that has, according to the agent selling this property package, been mainly renovated.
Then there's the outbuildings to discover, with different levels of work required to bring them back to their optimum condition, that includes a charming stone built coach house with conversion potential, subject to planning consent, two greenhouses and a number of corrugated iron and timber structures.
Mathry is a quiet village located between the coastal town of Fishguard and the historic city of St David's. The position of the village, at the top of a hill, allows sweeping views towards the coast and means the spot has been populated since the Iron Age.
These days it's a little jigsaw of small, winding lanes but thousands of years ago it was an excellent position to call home within a defensive fort, with the elevated position meaning you could see your enemies creeping up on you from all sides and take action accordingly.
Just a few miles away the glorious Pembrokeshire coast is calling you, and you will want to answer the call regularly, to discover cute coves, swim in the clear seas, and walk the coastal path to be fully immersed in the stunning scenery of this spectacular county.
Further along the lanes is the character packed St David's, the UK's smallest city that is big on history as well as a hotspot for dining out in the area. For a fuller choice of retail outlets, Haverfordwest is not far to travel either, with the town of Pembroke then further south.
But back at the village on the hill and the potential to fully renovate the site is undoubtedly exciting. The large, general stores property is a two-storey building with the main shop occupying a space of approximately 15m by 5.9m, which includes a lean-to storage area.
The shelves are still in place, the display cabinets are still in place, and there's even what appears to be products from the past still scattered around the shelving. But the customers are long gone, and now the space is shopping for a renovation project to reawaken it as a retail unit or, with the right permission, convert into a spacious dream home.
There are two storage rooms and a workshop on the ground floor, as well as an adjacent shop within the building that, according to the agent, used to be a toy shop.
Up the staircase and there's a utility room to find on the split level landing, before climbing again gets you to the first floor living accommodation that includes and a huge space that, once renovated, could be a spectacular open-plan kitchen, diner and lounge.
There's a bathroom on this floor too, plus three bedrooms, with another half landing leading to two further bedrooms. The General Store looks big from the outside but inside it's a bit of a beast that can offer a five-bed family home that boasts oodles of space, even if the ground floor remains as commercial units.
To the rear of the main building is a surprise addition not really visible from the street at the front of the site, there's only a view of it from approaching the general store from the side. It's a whole extra house and inside this property the renovation project has begun.
There's new plaster on the walls and lights in the ceiling, as well as an attractive cream log burner, to greet you in the lounge and the kitchen looks well on its way to being installed.
There's a conservatory at the rear of this property, which is called Spion Kop Cottage, that when completed will be a bonus room for relaxing. Upstairs, the cottage offers two, double bedrooms and a family bathroom.
Not too far off from being a comfortable home, the cottage offers the ideal place to live while you work on the renovation of the shops next door, and then contemplate the future for the range of corrugated iron and timber outbuildings and the garden that comprise the rest of the site for sale.
Maybe they are converted to more usable spaces, or maybe the more rickety structures go in the skip and the land is landscaped, or maybe the whole site is cleared and a new collection of homes are created on the land.
This might be a shame, losing a property with so much history in the village and a snapshot of days past, and could be a sad outcome for many people, but it will be a choice for the new owner to make, subject to achieving planning consent for the ideas they bring to the site.
One property that will surely survive is the charming stone coach house, which would make a lovely annexe for a member of the family or a pretty holiday let, ideally located in a village that is so well-placed for exploring the gorgeous country and coast, heritage and culture of Pembrokeshire.
The properties are not included as being listed on Cadw's website, but if demolition does occur then it will have to be done extremely carefully, because the telephone box on the pavement outside, and very close to the facade of the general store, is a listed treasure.
And, of course, before a new owner can do anything to the site, to the area near the telephone box or anywhere else, they will need to have a discussion with the local planning officer about future ideas and permissions needed.
According to the Cadw website, the telephone box was Grade II listed in 1988, amended in 1993, for being in a 'central location within conservation area' and of a K6-type to the standard design of architect Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, that was introduced in 1936.
The Mathry example of this iconic British structure is said to date back to before 1952, which goes some way to dating the shop behind it too; the shop where not that much has changed inside since those days so many decades ago.
The General Store, Spion Kop Cottage and the whole site is for sale with a guide price of £385,000 with estate agents JJ Morris, call their Fishguard branch on 01348 873836 to find out more. And don't miss the best dream homes in Wales, auction properties, renovation stories, and interiors - join the Amazing Welsh Homes newsletter , sent to your inbox twice a week.
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