Barney & Emma

Cornwall was a temporary plan whilst we worked out what was next in our lives but after spending one summer here we realised that this was where we wanted to be.

When the opportunity arose for us to take on Porthcothan Bay Stores we jumped at the chance.  What an opportunity, our own shop on one of the most beautiful beaches in Cornwall, surely it can’t be that hard to run a shop?!  

Well we found out there was lots to learn but with the help of our families and friends we got the shop up and running and have now put our stamp on the place and restored it back to its former glory of being the heart of the village and a bustling beach shop for both locals and tourists.

A brief history of the shop

Here is a bit about the history of the shop:

Beach Cottage was built by Mr and Mrs Brenton in 1883, from here they started serving cream teas, postcards and sweets and overtime built up their business to become the village store of Porthcothan.

With the success of the shop growing the Brenton’s decided to convert their horse stables into a shop which is the shop that we are in today, Porthcothan Bay Stores. The business was passed down through the family overtime, to Mr Strongman who ran the shop from 1935 to 1962. Lots of people remember Mr Strongman from the size of his hands! Mr Strongman soon got his daughters, Grace and Amelia involved in the running of the shop and Grace went on to run the shop until 1985 and still lives in the village today. In 1985 the shop was sold to Bob and Maggie Wyatt who ran the shop for 30 years and lived at Beach Cottage until their retirement in 2016.

Now its our turn! We took on the shop in 2016 and with the support of the local community and tourists we hope to keep the shop going for the foreseeable future.

Our Ethos

We aim to bring a bit more happiness into your day at the beach.  Whether you are just popping in for coffee, spending the day at the beach or just fancy a chat, a smile goes a long way!

Eco

Here at Porthcothan Bay Stores we are committed to reducing waste and keeping the place where we live, work and play clean.  Over time we aim to reduce single use plastic by introducing eco friendly alternatives and we strongly support initiatives such as the ‘2 Minute Beach Clean’ and ‘The Final Straw Cornwall’.