Plans for a community shop and space in Mallaig will help showcase the best of the area’s produce and crafts in the village’s former Spar.
Mallaig Community Hub hopes to be a shop front for the incredible food and creativity from the area in order to help support local suppliers and businesses.
The group behind the idea, hope to establish a business plan that will include a pop-up display area, and workshops for other users.
Ashley MacDonald Cymbalista, whose husband Pawel has been helping raise money for the venture’s display fridge, said the idea grew out of the loss of the former village shop.
Historic building
She said: “The building we have earmarked for the community hub is a historic building and it goes back to the year dot.
“Over the years it has had a number of purposes. Latterly it was a Spar shop that closed.
“But part of the shop needed to stay open to house the post office, so the owners have kindly considered how it can become a community enterprise.”
The idea has since taken off, with Mrs MacDonald Cymbalista and other committed residents looking at ways in which the building could come into community ownership – and what was needed for the area.
Mallaig is at the end of the Glasgow to Mallaig rail line. It is also a busy port and hub for a number of communities on the Road to the Isles.
The community undertook a feasibility study, to find out what it wanted from the shop.
“People wanted a different option to the Co-op that is in the village. A place that sold local food and that had more flexibility with what is available fresh, and produce from the area,” she said.
“Something that supported startups and small business.
A learning curve
“We then started a group to form a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO) and we have registered with the charity regulator, OSCR.”
The 30-year-old mum-of-two said the group had been given great support from both Voluntary Action Lochaber and Community Enterprise Scotland.
She continued: “It has been a big learning curve. The team of people who have been working on the plans have been incredible and we have really pulled together to make it work for the whole community from Mallaig to Lochailort.”
Not only will there be opportunities within the community shop for selling things – the group also hope to be able to work with people to run workshops.
“It is an enormous space in the shop, 130ft long, so it gives us the opportunity to do lots with it,” she continued.
“We would like to have an equipped commercial kitchen. It would be great to have workshops for people. There are amazing chefs who work in the area, who maybe don’t have year round work and could share skills with other people over the winter, for example.
“We still want to hear people’s ideas and how they can help. It is such an exciting opportunity.”
Fish company MOWI has already donated a chill unit to the charity.
Anyone who would like to contact the group, or would like to help fund the initiative can contact them by clicking here, or visiting its Facebook page.
Conversation