The owner of a north-east village’s only shop was celebrating last night after winning her fight to become a permanent fixture of the community.
Ice cream and sweetie shop Smuggler’s Cone at Collieston harbour is the only store in the community, following the closure of the village shop several years ago.
Nicole Barravecchio, 39, runs the hugely popular kiosk, which sells ice cream, snacks and seaside toys at the beachfront.
She was granted planning permission by Aberdeenshire Council to turn the beach shelter into a building for retail use in 2013 – on the condition it be reviewed after two years.
Earlier this year, mother-of-two Mrs Barravecchio applied to keep Smuggler’s Cone open for another five years.
And now the local authority – who lease her the facility – has granted her application, meaning the business can keep going.
Mrs Barravecchio said she may now also be able to increase the number of food products she sells at the outlet.
She added: “It makes me feel more confident, I’ll be able to enhance the business with things like a little bit of groceries and things like that, seeing what the community needs and if I can deliver that.
“It is nice that the council have recognised that it is working and going in the right direction.
“I am really enjoying it, I have got so many people that now are regulars – they recognise me, I recognise them. It is just lovely. I believe I have become part of Collieston.
“Smuggler’s Cone is really becoming a little meeting place, the residents come and meet up there for a coffee.”
The shop is open from November until March and – despite poor summer weather – enjoyed one of its busiest ever years.
Mrs Barravecchio said: “It has been my third summer at Smuggler’s Cone now, it is being recognised by people, it is doing really well. It is a lot of work in the summer, I am just run off my feet.
“But in my view if you are going to go to the beach, you are going to have an ice cream.”