Mr Ali and the Dusty Shelves sounds like the name of a Motown band but this is a tale about the importance of offering value to your customers and community.

Let me set the scene. I moved house last year and have become a regular customer at a hardware store. Initially I was travelling to the retail park or ordered online but then I discovered Mr Ali’s store, just ten minutes’ walk from home.

On my first visit I daundered up and down the aisles, searching the cramped shelves for sugar soap or masking tape or a certain size of screwdriver. Now I save time and go straight to the counter and ask Mr Ali, who is 70 years old with a shock of white hair.

The store looks chaotic but there is in fact some kind of system. An inventory is stored in Mr Ali’s memory and in seconds he’ll direct you to “third shelf, behind the toast racks, left of the paintbrushes”, where the exact thing you need is waiting for you.

I say ‘waiting for you’ because some stock is coated in several years’ worth of dust.

At first, I wondered why he kept it all but very quickly I began to appreciate the value of what’s piled on those dusty shelves.

You see, when your favourite lamp breaks, Mr Ali has a box of replacement parts. When you’re nearly crying in fruscration because the drill won’t work, you pop in and he magically fixes it with a damp cloth. If you only need one plug, he doesn’t make you buy a pack of five. And when you go to the till with a shiny new bag of hinges, he swaps them for a dust covered packet that is “better quality and half the price.”

For all of these reasons, Mr Ali has become someone I rely on and trust. A fountain of knowledge, he is full of practical advice and makes time for everyone who walks through the door. Unfortunately for him, the shop is very quiet. Online shopping took business away, or perhaps new families moved in and like me, didn’t know his shop was there.

Now that I’ve finished decorating, I still visit the store to buy washing up liquid or colouring pencils, or things I could easily get in the supermarket because Mr Ali and shops like his, are vital to our community. They’re handy for people who don’t have easy access to the out-of-town retail park or who can’t afford the £3.95 delivery fee for a £1 pack of screws. And for the thousands of people who suffer from loneliness, a trip to the local shops is a chance to say hello and see a friendly face. There’s also something really charming about an old family business versus a brightly lit mega-store.

In addition to being my go-to guy for DIY, Mr Ali has reminded me of a few business lessons.

1. No matter how established your business is, don’t rely on word of mouth

2. Dust your shelves and clearly present your value, not just your products

3. Make it easy for customers to find what they’re looking for

 Thanks for reading. Please shop local.

Names have been changed to protect the bashful.