Birkdale Cheese Co has sat at the heart of the high street for 45 years.
Situated in the "vibrant village" of Birkdale, just to the south of Southport, the cheese shop was taken over by Mark Moss and John Clarke three years ago after it came onto the market "by chance".
The couple, both 55, hoped to breathe new life into the business and build on its success to attract a younger crowd. The shop has not only achieved this aim but has now been named as one of the UK's most influential cheese retailers of 2024.
ALSO IN THE ECHO: Award-winning business to reopen in new location
ALSO IN THE ECHO: Seaside village 'with no sea' used to be gateway to another country
Mark told the ECHO: "We took early retirement at the age of 50 - that lasted a year. We got bored and it was something we'd always thought we'd like to do, not necessarily to have a cheese shop, but a deli or fine foods shop.
"By chance this shop came up for sale at the right time. We could see potential in it and decided to go for it.
"Birkdale is such a vibrant little village. I think the key to it is all the independent traders that are in the village. It's quite an affluent area.
"It's been here for 45 years as a cheese shop. We took over three years ago and it was just a little bit tired. It needed a little bit of a revamp, which is what we set out to do.
"We didn't want to change a great business for the sake of it. We wanted to improve on what was already here.
"The fact the shop had survived all those years as a cheese shop is a testament to the village and how much people support local businesses."
While Birkdake Cheese Co. can't compete with supermarkets on price, Mark said it can compete on quality and the variety of cheese it has to offer. The shop
Read on liverpoolecho.co.uk