Shop Stories – Heartfelt Hospitality

We asked our team for their shop stories and memories to demonstrate the impact shops have on people. This is the second in the series.

1. Lucie’s story – Prestons in Leeds, Briggate
2. Ellie’s story – Frisio’s in Leighton Buzzard

Shops go beyond transactions. They connect people and create interactions which build a sense of belonging and strengthen community bonds.

Shoplight’s partnership with the Retail Trust is built on the fact that shops are fundamental to our success. Working with the Retail Trust allows us to give back to the people on the frontline of retail, the colleagues who are the driving force of the industry, without whom, stores would not be possible. Every sale from Shoplight’s Buy Blue biopolymer lighting range earns a 2% donation for the Retail Trust.

Ellie’s story

This story perfectly illustrates the impact a shop can have on a community. It comes from Ellie, a Lighting Designer at Shoplight. Her Nonno and Nanny ran a classic rustic Italian café in Leighton Buzzard, Bedford. They displayed a heartwarming example of the effort and time business owners put into running an establishment and the impact it can have on the community.

Originally from Naples, Italy, Carmine (Nick to the regulars), wanted to bring a piece of home and Italian culture to provide a different offering to his new community in the UK. During the early ’70s, Bedford had a big Italian community, making it the perfect location to open Frisio’s, a name inspired by the popular legend of Ancient Rome, Frisio’s Rock – a story that could be discovered on the back of the hand-made paper menus so customers could get lost in an adventure while waiting for a delicious taste of Naples.

Encapsulating home cooking and comfort, Frisio’s was considered a safe place for many young couples, making it a popular spot for dates. Ellie’s Mum and her friends often went there straight from school to hang out. This was a place you were welcomed – no matter your age you were offered nothing but warmth and kindness.

Frisio’s also regularly supplied catering to companies in the local area for events or special occasions and hosted children’s birthday parties. Many fond memories were created with the help of the Frisio’s team, and Carmine in particular, who always delivered the Frisio’s service with pride.

Their kindness and generosity went a long way, like when a man came into the café unable to pay. Ellie’s Nonno would always say, ‘It is easy to help someone’. Seeing he was in need, Carmine asked the man to take a seat and gave him a free cup of coffee and a hot panini. Visiting every so often, he was always greeted with the same compassion.

Pouring his heart into running the restaurant, Carmine ground the coffee beans and made the pasta, pizza dough and ice cream from scratch, using the best Italian ingredients. Putting in the effort to authentically create exquisite food, proved worthwhile as Frisio’s was often referred to as a ‘hidden gem’. Many friends and family would say, “If you knew about it you were lucky, if you didn’t you missed out”.