One of Gower’s most famous businesses is up for sale – Shepherds in Parkmill, which was founded in 1896.
The landmark village shop and five holiday cottages are on the market with Dawsons for £1,200,000. For an investor that would produce a gross accommodation income of approximately £70,000 per annum along with the famous Shepherd’s store, coffee shop and car park to the front.
The village shop began more than 120 years ago as an outpost frequented by locals and travellers. As day-tripping became more popular on Gower Shepherds became well known as a stopping-off-point for families with cars and Sunday school groups.
The existing shop operates on the site of the original premises. The original shop was demolished in the early 1930s and the current building constructed in eight weeks at a cost of £600.
The shop was later run by Don Shepherd, Glamorgan’s legendary bowler and his family.
Many people write fondly of Shepherds, and indeed, the late Sir Harry Secombe wrote of his “courting” exploits in and around Parkmill.
The shop has always been famous for its ice-cream, and countless doctors have prescribed a visit to Shepherds to children suffering from all sorts of ailments – from tonsillitis to glandular fever as its ice cream was so full of goodness.
In 1996, when Shepherds was 99 years old, the family retired, and the business was sold to Nick and Emma Hopkins, who, 23 years on, are also now planning their retirement.
“We too were taken to Shepherds as a treat by our own parents as children and had a great deal of love and respect for the place,” said Nick and Emma.
“We have tried to retain as much community spirit within the shop whilst making gradual improvements. We renovated the shop in 1997, extended the range of ice-cream, built the new cafe extension in 1998, and added the cottage accommodation in 2007.
“We’ve been flat out ever since. It’s been 10 years now and we’re welcoming new guests and seeing familiar faces return year after year.
“The cottages and apartment are constantly being upgraded and our attention to detail remains as keen as ever. We’re delighted to have received a Guest Review Award 2017 from Booking.com following positive customer feedback and aim to continue to strive to make our guests’ holiday as comfortable as possible.
“It’s now time to pass the baton on to someone else who will love it as we have.
“Our passion for Three Cliffs has grown over the years and we have never taken for granted its breathtaking beauty – we’re now looking forward to spending more quality time at the Bay.”
Chris Hope, Dawsons’ Senior Partner, added: “We are delighted to be associated with such a well-known Gower business and I am sure this is going to generate a lot of interest from near and far.”
