Wendy Roberts, left, and Helen Plummer are reopening Mon Plaisir Stores, which closed last year when the Perchard family went to England. (0930467)

MON Plaisir Stores will reopen next week as once again Sark gets a third general provisions shop.

It closed last year after Frank and Isabel Perchard left Sark with their daughter and son-in-law, Karen and David Pollard, along with their two daughters, to live in England.

Now, 83 years after it was built, Helen Plummer and Wendy Roberts are to reopen Mon Plaisir tomorrow week.

The shop is almost directly opposite the Methodist Chapel and – for my grandchildren at least – is instantly recognisable because of the rows of sweet jars in the window; something which brings back memories for those of my generation.

The premises have been vacant for several months and the idea of taking it on came to Helen and Wendy on Christmas Day as they sat in Helen’s kitchen after lunch. Helen had always wanted to open a shoe shop while Wendy had similar ambitions in respect of clothes.

However, after some discussion they realised that Mon Plaisir was a little off the beaten track for that and so they settled on it reverting to what the shop had always been.

It was built in 1927 for Mabel and Jim Baker and the latter sold it to Charlie and Florida Perree – Isabel Perchard’s parents – in 1963.

It remained in the same family until it closed last year.

However, the family link has been retained because Sark-born Helen – Wendy has been in the island for nine years – is Isabel Perchard’s cousin.

Indeed, reading the history prepared for me by Wendy’s husband Lawrence of all the Sark residents who’ve been associated with Mon Plaisir is a bit like looking at a cross between the island’s genealogical history and the electoral roll.

Although the shop layout has changed, many of the regular features of the Perchard/Pollard days will remain.

There will be regular deliveries, with smaller loads done by Helen and Wendy on bicycles – they say it will help keep them fit – and there will also be a heavy emphasis on local produce, with a shelf devoted to homemade goods.

Dave Scott’s lamb and Baz Adams’ shellfish will be on offer and Helen and Wendy have also secured the Iceland franchise, although this will carry a premium over the marked price to cover freight costs.

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Sark’s Chamber of Commerce held the latest in a series of members’ forums last week with General Purposes and Advisory Committee chairman Charles Maitland speaking on the subject of commerce and the environment.

His talk, and the question and answer session which followed, were well received by members and their guests.

I was not surprised that he used a very small part of his illustrated address to have a couple of pops at the Barclay family-owned Sark Estate Management.

After all, he’s soaked up a bit of written punishment from that neck of the woods during the last few months or so.

Indeed, I’d have been more surprised had he not done so.

One thing which did emerge during the general discussion was that Conseiller Maitland’s committee is examining land reform – broadly speaking giving home occupiers the opportunity to buy the freehold of property.

Having set down a marker at the meeting, I might just as well repeat it now.

While I do not oppose reform, I strongly oppose making the 40 landowning tenants sell what they currently possess by compulsion, rather than voluntarily.

I have seen so much distress caused elsewhere by compulsory purchase and giving leaseholders an automatic right to buy is that by another name.

No doubt there’ll be another series of big debates to come on this one.

• The email address for comment is fallesark@sark.net