PROFILE FEATURE
Amrit & Manjula Mistry Open all hours! In the early 1980s recession hit when Nigel Lawson was Chancellor (remember him?) and Margaret Thatcher was in the Prime Ministerial Chair! Manufacturing was hit particularly badly and three million were unemployed. Two of those people were newlyweds Amrit and Manjula Mistry. Amrit had worked at Metal Box Packaging Company and Manjula had worked in a laboratory for Rank Hovis. They had only lived in their marital home for six months and the future after a year was beginning to look bleak. In the end the London Fire Brigade offered Amrit a job with their accounts team but their loss was to be the Deepings gain as the pair had visited Deeping on the way to see family in Leicester and had viewed Brian and Jennifer Gardner’s Spar shop in Godsey Lane which was for sale. The Deepings appealed to the young couple and so with a blessing of an amicable banker a mutual love affair with the community began to unfold.
shopping while they learnt about what the people of Deepings like to eat! In those days the shop had a deli counter and locals would come in for a slice of corned beef, ham, cheese and beef. The keen fishermen would like to buy spam to use as bait for the fish. This was uncharted territory for the couple, originally from Kenya, who were used to slightly spicier fare! Shop hours were 8-6 with an hour for lunch between 1 and 2. This was for the couple a complete culture change but the positive feelings that they had for the area only flourished as they got to know their customers. Gentle giant Big Mal, Joan McSherry, who had been a post lady, and Mrs Merrill who gave the couple fifty pence (not an inconsiderable sum back then) on their first Christmas in the shop, and Mabel Barker and her large family are just a handful from many who the couple recall fondly.
‘In those days the streets of Deeping were much quieter than they are today and cows still grazed in the field where the Health Centre is now.’
This was 1984 - the couple moved in above the shop, the stock-take was done on the Sunday and on Monday they were open for business. Life was very different from Chadwell Heath, east of London. In those days the streets of Deeping were much quieter than they are today and cows still grazed in the field where the Health Centre is now. The couple didn’t leave the shop for ten months; parents did their food 20
Their two daughters were born while they lived in the flat upstairs, Manisha in 1987 and Anila in ’91; both attended the back school and went on to Bourne Grammar. After ten years the family moved into a house nearby but continued to work hard at the shop which had several refits over the years. Eventually the deli counter was replaced with a more extensive selection
of ready meals as habits changed and customers were more likely to stop by after a day’s work to pick up an easy supper and a drink from the off licence. At this time the hours were extended until 10, a move which saw the takings double! In 1987 the shop was awarded the Spar Retailer of the year for the East Midlands region and in 2001 received the Spar Off Licence Retailer of the year award. Disaster struck when Tesco opened and the couple lost trade, staff and almost their way! But instead of giving up their business they invested over £25,000 in a refit, negotiated a stock loan on a ‘buy now pay later’ basis and the gamble paid off! Amrit also realised the benefit of seeking help from the banks, from an accountant rather than a book-keeper, and from his financiers – business meetings were held regularly so any potential problems could be circumvented ahead of time. This is a piece of advice that Amrit has now carried with him to the Deeping Business Support Group, where he relishes the opportunity to put businesses that have been hit by the problems caused by the Lockdown in touch with professional advisors who can help them navigate their way through to calmer waters. As an active member of the Deepings business community, it was an obvious next step for Amrit to join the Rotary Club. Here he has served as a President and received the Paul Harris award for service to the community. He was a stalwart of the Feed Deeping campaign and his retirement has not, as yet, given him the time he was planning to spend with Manjula!
