Name: John Greenfield
Business Name: In partnership with my wife Maralyn, I run Bruditz, the chocolate shop at the bottom of Station St.
What does your business do? We sell good quality Belgian and English chocolates. The shop is famous for its large display. Our customers choose and pay for what they want and we box and wrap them at no extra charge. We also cater for weddings and are increasingly starting to provide corporate gifts to a number of local companies.
How long have you been running the business? We took over running the business in July 2005.
What was on the premises before? For the last twenty years at least, it’s been a chocolate shop. Before that it was part of a much bigger furniture shop. Back in Victorian times I believe it was a grain store.
What are your most expensive chocolates? Individually, none of the chocolates are expensive, but we do sell at 2lb selection box for £36
And the cheapest? Novelties from 20 pence upwards
And the most unusual? We’ve just started stocking bars of raw chocolate, which have a very unusual taste and retail at £2.49
What sort of people use the shop? We have a good number of regulars, plus our position between the station and the town centre guarantees us regular passing trade. We also get a number of barristers calling in on their way to and from court.
Is their anything that annoys you about running a chocolate shop? No, not really. But then I used to work in an office for many years and so now it’s just a great relief to be doing something else. Also almost everyone that comes into the shop is in a good mood because they’re either buying themselves a treat or someone else a present, so that ends up putting me in a good mood too.