SECRET SHOPPER
Shop in the Clouds Well known as a tourist destination, the Ponderosa cafe and gift shop is also a chosen destination for locals in the know – Yattar Yattar paid a visit to find out what makes this place so special…
T
he Horseshoe Pass above Llangollen is an iconic destination for tourists, visitors and locals alike, and the Ponderosa cafe has been an institution there for almost as long as anyone can remember. There’s been a building of some sort at the top of the pass since the 1930s – then it was just a wooden hut – but it became the Ponderosa when taken over by a keen Bonanza fan in the 1960s and the name has simply stuck. In 1984, the site was bought by John Clemence, from Brymbo, and since then the Ponderosa has become a destination in itself, not least because of the charms of the Shop in the Clouds, the gift shop that nestles next to the cafe. The whole thing is still very much a Clemence family business: since John emigrated to Australia in 2008, the shop is run by daughter Roslynne Lumsden, while her brother Simon and his wife run the cafe. Roslynne
had always had a dream of owning and running her own shop, and thanks to her father’s foresight she now does just that. ‘I had the idea of opening a gift shop from when I was quite young,’ says Roslynne, ‘and when dad bought the business I thought I could expand it for the tourist side.’ It’s a cliche, but the Shop in the Clouds really is like an Aladdin’s cave. The space has all sorts of nooks and crannies filled to the ceiling with treasures of all sorts – jewellery, statues, soft furnishings, toys, decorations, Welsh memorabilia, clothes, crafts, kitchenware – you name it. ‘There’s something here for all the family, for any occasion,’ says Ros. ‘We have a wide range, with gifts for children and adults, for the home and hobbies – all sorts of things!’ The shop and cafe both attract all sorts of visitors, tourists from the UK and overseas who come back again and again. They even have the occasional celebrity, such as David Cameron who visited just before the general election. ‘We cater for overseas visitors, the home market, day trippers, not to mention coach parties from all over the country who stop en route to the coast,’ says Ros. ‘We’re lucky to live so close to beautiful Llangollen and the heritage that is here, and of course, people come to see the Horseshoe Pass which is world famous in itself.’ It’s not just tourists who visit the shop, though; canny locals looking for a unique gift or that certain special something for a wedding gift or birthday or anniversary present know that Shop in the Clouds is the place to come. They know they’ll get a warm and friendly welcome from Ros and her manager Jenna, and that they’ll get plenty of help finding a reasonably priced, beautiful product. And tourists looking for something specially Welsh, or for local handmade crafts know they’ve come to the right place too.
‘We’re lucky to be so close to Llangollen and all its heritage’
‘People don’t want to see something with Made in China on it,’ says Roslynne, ‘they like to see things that are locally made, and a lot of our products are made right here in Wales, including handmade crafts.’ And if you need proof of how special Shop in the Clouds is, Roslynne’s returning
customers say it all. ‘Because we’ve been here a long time, we have a rapport with our customers,’ says Roslynne. ‘We have a huge customer base, a great following, and not just tourists. I’ve been here for 30 years now, and I have people coming in who came when they were children and now bring their children – and they still remember the lady behind the counter! We get generations of families coming to see us.’ y For more information visit www. shopintheclouds.com or call 01978 790445.
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