It was a time when Charles Dickens was in his prime and Queen Victoria was on the throne.

In 1842, hardware shop Bloodworths began selling household items to the people of Cheltenham.

Just over 175 years on, it’s still going strong – priding itself on its tradition of customer service.

The family run shop selling hardware, cooking and pet supplies celebrated a landmark 175 years of trading last year.

The business has been passed down through three families while keeping the shops name and the traditional old fashioned products you may not be able to purchase in the chain stores.

With the future of the High Street under constant change, what’s their secret to surviving against the big businesses?

Shop assistant of 17 years Lynne Green, said: “Plenty of hard work and looking after our customers. They get very good customer service and that’s what they keep coming back for. It’s nice and friendly so not like these big shops, where you can feel a bit anonymous.”

Despite speculation that the shop was closing doors at the beginning of the year, this is definitely not the case, Lynne has clarified that “new owners have come in recently because our previous owners have retired so they want to improve it even more”.

Bloodworths is a traditional small place giving off more of a bookshop type feel. It surprisingly goes back a long way with shelves full of items from bags of soil, electrical goods, to dog treats.

Not stopping there with its variety of selection Lynne said: “We are looking to expand even more now, not sure where we are going to put it all but we’ll find room and have even more stuff.”

Park Post would love to hear from you on whether you like to shop at independent shops or do you prefer the convenience of shopping at big retailers. Tweet us your thoughts @parkpostnews