Crofters' Original

In Stornoway (a place I can't seem to tear myself away from: I'm still here!) I have discovered a shop that may even displace John Lewis kitchen department in my affections. Even the one in Edinburgh. I'm sorry, but there it is.

Inside an unprepossessing shed near the pier beats the heart of a practical, resilient island. The shop is called Lewis Crofters. It began 50 years ago (I know: I have read their anniversary booklet from cover to cover) as a means of improving crofters' buying power for goods that had to be imported from the mainland. Rather than everyone paying through the nose for small amounts of fencing, animal feed, and fertiliser, as well as waiting for it to arrive over the Minch, which is subject to strong currents and bad weather, Lewis Crofters was formed to enable islanders to buy in bulk, keep materials they needed nearby, and profit from the savings that this new purchasing power could negotiate. And the idea was, too, that Lewis Crofters would also be able to work as a co-operative to find outlets for islanders' produce on the mainland. The success of that part of the business is less clear, but as a shop? Wow.

I have never seen so many diverse and wonderful things in one place. Exactly the right mixing bowls. Sensible (ie huge) sized pans for making jam or shiploads of mince and tatties. Waterproofs and warm breeks in every size and colour. Horse blankets. Headcollars. Louse remedy. Baking trays. Rope. Lightbulbs. Waterproof matting. Ornamental wall-clocks. Celtic music CDs. Air freshener. Dogfood. Toilet brushes. Hose. Those splash-proof chaps that people wear to keep muck off themselves when working with cows. Sewing materials. Garden implements. Towels. Training shoes. Jumpers. Tweed jackets. Dog leads. Dog guards. Fly paper. Seeds. Polyfilla. Paint. Cake tins. Cake boards. Storage boxes. Waste bins. I could go on, but you get the idea. And this is without going into the adjoining building with the fork lift truck in it where they keep the animal feed, fencing and fertiliser.

Now, I know it's not everyone's idea of a good time, but if there are two things that put me in purchasing heaven they are (1) kitchen implements and utensils, and (2) practical clothing - I am a woman who has been known to buy clothes from the Screwfix catalogue. My favourite find was a pair of waterproof trainers (Hi Tec, I think they were) at £30, which were fifty quid less than the North Face ones I bought a few weeks ago and appear just as good.

So well done Lewis Crofters, and happy birthday. I must admit I did also stray into the Fishermen's Co-Op, which is a similar emporium of waterproofs, waterproof containers, fluorescent paint, wellies of all colours, water tanks, fish crates, knives, flotation devices, wetsuits, fishing gear, emergency flares and fibreglass cleaner. If anyone wants rope of any length, gauge, material or colour brought home, just let me know. It will be a pleasure to go back and get it.