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Shop owner 'totally taken aback' by support after online message
Express and Echo
|December 18, 2025
THE owner of a cherished family-run hardware shop in Exeter says he has been overwhelmed by public support since issuing a desperate SOS message to customers.
Paul Brook of Brook's Basics saw his online post bring customers into the store in Marsh Barton, Exeter
Paul Brook, of Brook’s Basics, feared he might have had to close the store he set up with his father 25 years ago due to cost increases and crippling roadworks around Alphington keeping customers away.
He penned an online letter to customers vowing not to give in and saying he hoped hard work, honesty and “a little luck” would help the business on Marsh Barton weather the storm. He thanked his customers and asked only that they share his Facebook post.
To his amazement, the post gathered 125,000 views times and was shared 500 times. Interest in the shop has soared and, most importantly of all, customers have been flooding back.
For the first time for quite a while he is free of sleepless nights and his finances are out of the red.
This story is from the December 18, 2025 edition of Express and Echo.
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