FORTY years ago a young schoolgirl did work experience on one afternoon a week at Adams Home Hardware shop on Crediton High Street.

She must have made quite an impression because after a few months when a vacancy came up, the girl was offered a full-time job.  Forty years later she is still there, the longest serving member of staff.

Sharon Leaman is that member of staff.  She now lives in Crediton but was born on Morchard Road, her father worked on a farm locally.  She has an older sister. 

Sharon went to school at Copplestone and then QE at Crediton, from where she went on work experience with Adams.  

“I began working on the shop floor with the polishes, did a time in the china section.  Shortly after I came here I went on the till and still do that.  There were no computers, you had to add up and count out the change.

“As a 16 year old I didn’t know much about nuts, bolts, screws, nails and such and had to learn fast.

“We had one Saturday off in eight then, now it is every other Saturday.  We closed early on Wednesdays, as did many other shops,” she said.

Sharon added that when she began the shop opened at 8.40am, now it is 9.15am but it still closes at 5.30pm every day and at 5pm on Saturdays. 

“The family lived upstairs,” Sharon added.  “Mr Dick Adams would often come down in his wheelchair, there was a lift, his wife would come to help in the shop especially at Christmas when we were really busy she would help pack people’s shopping.”

The shop is now run by their sons Richard and David.  The business was begun in 1910 by Richard and David’s grandfather, Harry.

The shop grew from its original base at 120 High Street and then took over the shop next door and later the shop on the other side, so three shops have been knocked into one.

In 1975 Adams joined Home Hardware, a dealer-owned wholesale company, with more than 400 independently-owned hardware stores.

Older brother Richard said: "When I started working at the shop it used to be much more of a farmers’ ironmongers. We have gone away from that and sell more household items, but a lot of it is basically the same.

Adams sell a lot more electrical items now. Some people didn't have electricity so they sold Tilley lamps and Aladdin paraffin lamps as well as the old Primus stove.

This is an amazing shop where you can still find the glass lanterns for the old lamps, many now converted to electricity.  That is one of the things Adams is so good at, stocking the unexpected items with a specialised use. Many people do not realise the extent of Adams’ shop where advice is freely given and where customers can now view more than 17,000 lines on-line. 

David said the other 10 staff have been with them from between 19 years and 37 years, so they are all very experienced in the products sold.  

Of her time in the shop Sharon said she had enjoyed being there and having good bosses helped.

Bad weather did not often deter her but she remembers one winter when they lived at Allerbridge.  A lorry got stuck in the ice and snow on the hill and people could not get in or out for a time. 

Another time because of flooded roads, Sharon did not get home until shortly before 7pm, having left work at 5.30pm. 

On the August 15 anniversary of the day Sharon began full time at Adams everyone gathered in the shop to give her a card from them all, a gift voucher, bottle of pink sparkling and a big box of chocolates. 

Making the presentation, David Adams said he could not remember Sharon ever being late for work and that she had seen many changes over the years.