'There were holes in the floor': Family-run Emsworth greengrocer celebrates 60 years in business

Rewind 60 years and an ambitious couple took over an Emsworth greengrocer equipped with holes in the floor and roof.

Six decades on, and Tier & Son Greengrocer, in the high street, is raising a glass to celebrate the anniversary of the family-run business which has remained a constant in the village.

Ray and Josie Tier took over the fruit and vegetable shop on October 3, 1966 and spent the best part of their lives creating a thriving and well-established venture that has now been passed down to their daughter, Sarah Long, who intends to continue her parents’ legacy.

Sarah said: “My mum and dad started it in 1966 on October 3 and it was a greengrocer at the time but it was really really run down. There were holes in the floor with bits of tin hammered into it so they didn’t have to repair it. When my parents took over they obviously made the repairs and essentially worked for free for ten years.”

The 60-year-old has been at the helm for the past 26 years after her parents retired at the age of 66, and she has since been joined by her daughter - Victoria - who is lined up to take over in the future.

Sarah told The News how her dad, who died three years ago, “would have loved to have been here to see us reach 60.” The shop was at the heart of the Tier family, with Ray and Josie living in the flat above for many years.

The manager continued: “It is amazing. It is carrying on my dad’s legacy - It is the customers that have kept us going the whole tim by being so loyal and supportive of us. We have gone through tough times like when Tesco opened in Havant and Asda and Aldi came along, it has been hard . It hasn’t all been plain sailing. When the A27 new road opened when my mum and dad still ran it, it took away a lot of trade from Emsworth because people could just jump on the motorway and go to other shops, but we managed to hang in there through the tough times.

“Emsworth is lovely, it is like living in the old times and is quite old fashioned but it has changed a lot over the years. A lot of long standing businesses are surviving, everybody knows everybody and you walk down the street and you always get a “good morning” or “have a nice day”. It is just lovely and I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”

Sarah’s sister, Debra, has also dedicated 30 years of her life to the shop and she continues to work alongside her family on a daily basis to ensure it keeps ticking over.

To mark the special occasion, Sarah and the team ran multiple offers for customers and gave out free sweet treats while also enjoying a birthday cake, baked by staff member Ally.

Sarah added: “Over the years, the business has grown and changed with the times. What started as a traditional greengrocer has also developed into a florist, allowing customers to come in for their fresh fruit and vegetables as well as beautiful flowers for all sorts of occasions.

“It has become a place where customers can pop in to pick up their vegetables for dinner, choose some flowers for someone special, or simply have a friendly chat — continuing that personal, traditional service that has always been at the heart of the business.

“My dad always said as long as we could pay everyone’s wages that was the main thing but luckily we have kept going and it seems more people use the business than they used to. People are loyal in Emsworth and they do like to support the small businesses.

“When mum and dad started, there were eight shops selling fruit and veg, but we are the last remaining greengrocers in the village so we are really lucky.”

For more information about Tiers Greengrocer, click here.