WHEN Teresa Aston found herself unable to pick up fruit and veg in her local town centre it gave her an idea – open her own greengrocers.

The former civil servant opened The Art of Fruit and Veg on the corner of Welsh Street and Moor Street in Chepstow last Wednesday (March 30).

It is the first time in 20 years that the town has had a specialist greengrocers in one of the main shopping streets in Chepstow.

Teresa, of Tutshill, and partner Mark Powles received help and advice from established greengrocers Pat Scott in Coleford and Phil Munday in Monmouth.

Teresa said: “I got the idea for the shop when I came up through town and I couldn’t buy fruit and veg so I had to go all the way back to Tesco.

“Pat in Coleford and Phil in Monmouth were very kind in giving us advice about setting up the business.”

She said the name of the shop came from the wish to have ’fruit and veg’ on the sign and because they plan to offer edible fruit bouquets.

The shop, in a former drycleaners, is one of a number of new businesses that have opened in Chepstow over the last few months including a European mini-market in a former estate agents a few doors along Welsh Street, a toy shop, an antiques business and a branch of Marks and Spencer.