Trusting shopkeeper back in Settle to open new business

When shopkeeper Tom Algie left the beautiful North Yorkshire market town of Settle 10 years ago for a simpler life in France, he never imagined he would return.

Some people may remember Tom from the time he left his tool shop open on Boxing Day, unstaffed and with only an honesty box.

He now finds himself back behind the counter in a town he loves thanks to circumstances which gave him a distinct feeling of deja vu.

For some, 2022 is not the time to be setting up shop. However, as well as trusting the good people of Settle, Tom also trusts serendipity.

Tom and his wife Ann were on a return visit to Settle from their home in France recently when they happened to pass a card and vape shop with a note in the window which read 'Business for sale’.

“The business was due to close within two months because the owner needed to look after elderly relatives and was struggling to find a local buyer. It reminded me exactly of how I got started in retail 20 years earlier," recalls Tom.

When he enquired about the asking price, he couldn’t believe that it was exactly what he paid for his former business all those years ago.

Tom initially managed to resist the temptation and returned to France.

Despite the current retail climate, it still felt like too good an opportunity to miss, and he was surprised no one else was tempted. As the days went by he couldn’t get the little card shop out of his mind.

Ann thought Tom had actually ‘gone out of his mind.’

They had spent the last 10 years creating a simple life in France from scratch, with Ann even setting up YouTube channel ‘Simpler Living’ to extol the many virtues of their peaceful, alternative, off grid, no fridge lifestyle with their solar powered bikes and electric car.

Ann insisted she was not ready to return to the hustle and bustle yet, but Tom wondered if it would be possible to run the shop from France, with the occasional UK ‘working holiday’.

Several sleepless nights and many discussions later Tom rang the owner in early July and a week later he took over the business. His first act as owner was to run a competition to name the shop, just as he had for his first business many years ago.

The best entry so far is from a Settle local, a cartoon image which Ann and Tom like so much they decided to recreate it in real life in France.

“We got some odd looks from the French people at the garage” says Ann, “but life is supposed to be fun, and they were really helpful.”

There are still a few days left for entries, which can be sent either to [email protected] or Shop Unit, Bank Buildings, Settle, BD24 9EX.

Ann’s brother and two other locals are now running the shop day-to-day while Tom has returned to France with Ann.

Tom loves his life in France but admits he is quite looking forward to his next holiday in Settle behind the counter.

As the French say, “you can take a shopkeeper out of the nation, but they are still a nation of shopkeepers”.