Fantastic family store finally realised

Two years after purchasing the old Co-operative building in the small Leicestershire town of Earl Shilton, the Dhami family has finally opened the store of their dreams.

The impressive 2,000 sq.ft. shop has been developed within the equally impressive building that dates back to 1886 and the owners have kept as many original features as possibly to retain the authenticity of the premises.

Sukhi Dhami, who runs the Nisa Local store alongside his brother Arun and their parents Avtar and Harminder, said the family had coveted the building for several years but had to persuade the owner to sell it to them enabling them to realise their dream.

“Our family has lived in Earl Shilton for about 16 years and so we knew the building. It was quite run down and being used to store carpets and we knew we could make it into something special,” said Sukhi.

The building has been gutted and original interior brickwork sandblasted back to bare brick and left exposed. Photographs of the village from days gone by have been erected in entrance to the store. This has then been combined with more modern features including a suspended ceiling, wood effect flooring and a variety of bold lighting to create a bespoke finish that makes the store stand out from others in the sector.

With a barista coffee shop and hot food to go on offer at the rear of the shop along with a spectacular beers, wines and spirits section, every step has been taken to create something that stands out from the crowd.

“I did not want a store that everyone else has got,” explained Sukhi. “This is a really special building and it was important that we got it right for the town and offer them something different.”

And the fact that just a few hundred metres down the road is a large Co-op, didn’t deter Sukhi from his development, in fact he believes his new Nisa Local will complement it.

“Having the Co-op down the road didn’t put us off one bit. They have a great range and we are stocking lots of Co-op lines, but we offer something different to the Co-op. We are a family owned business, we live within the community and that’s our point of difference that we hope will bring people in.”