Cabbages and Kings : Another One Bites The Dust.

Thanks to Caz Frost for suggesting this topic.

Another era in Silverton retailibg will come to an end in the last weekend in july with the retirement of Ann Vanneck and the closure of the fruit and veg shop, Cabbages and Kings opposite the Silverton Inn.

When I was very young the shop that is now Cabbages and Kings was a boot and shoe repair business run by a man named Walker. People could make a decent living out of shoe repairs even in a place like Silverton in those days when shoes were more expensive and made to last.Mr Walker, besides performing orthodox shoe repair was also expert at orthopeadic work. After his departure, which I suspect coincided with the beginnings of the trend towards mass produced shoes at less expensive prices the shop ceased to operate as a retail outlet until the very early eighties when Robert Vanneck began selling second hand fridges, freezers and washing machines and also did a sideline in fresh eggs. Following the end of the secondhand white goods business the shop passed through a couple of other incarnations firstly an antique shop, and later as a financial advice centre . It then became what is now Cabbages and Kings eventually becoming owned and managed by Ann Vanneck. It looks as though whatever future the shop may now have it is unlikely to be selling fruit and veg. It seems that, despite all the talk about the desirability of locally produced fruit and veg,

when the chips are down it seems shops like Cabbages and Kings in a village the size of Silverton are unable to compete against the supermarkets and the availability of imported produce that can be grown all the year round. Perhaps the best solution for those who want fresh, local produce is to return to growing it in their own gardens or joining the queue to rent an allotment. Given the demands of current employment practices and other demands upon the time of working people, neither of the two alternatives will be attractive options for many.