Keith Bailey, Owner, Home and Hardware
Who are you? Keith Bailey.
What is the name of your shop? Home and Hardware in Oxford Street, Dartmouth.
How would you describe it? Home and Hardware is trying to fill the gap left by the closure of Woolworths – but on a smaller scale and without the pick and mix! I sell tools, paint, nails, cleaning products, light bulbs, haberdashery, kitchen implements, I cut keys – everything from chainsaws to screws all under one roof.
How long have you worked there? The shop opened in September and it’s going really well. Business is building every month.
Is this the first shop you have had? It’s my first shop, but my wife Elaine has run Harvey’s Handbags around the corner for the past 10 years.
What other jobs have you had? I’m a trained chef and we ran a hotel and restaurant in Seaton in East Devon for 14 years. I also worked at the Windjammer for a time, but when I retired from being a chef I decided to open up here. The hours are certainly much better than being a chef, and it’s not as pressured. I can understand why Gordon Ramsay loses his temper, put it that way! Being a chef is fast paced and pressurised. This is a lot more relaxed.
What is the best thing about being in the shop? I meet so many different people and interesting characters – no two days are the same.
What is the most unusual thing you sell, or customer request you have dealt with? One lady wanted a particular type of enamel saucepan and I tracked that down for her. She’d been trying for years to get one so she was very pleased. I also have regular key cutting contracts with lots of the letting agents because I’m open six days a week, and you’d be amazed how often people go off home on Saturdays, change over day, and take the keys with them. Obviously it’s a bit of an emergency if the next holiday makers are on their way – and there are no spare keys!
Do you live nearby? Yes we live close to the town centre.
What does Dartmouth mean to you? It is a wonderful, special and relaxing place to live.
First Published February 2010 By The Dart