Mrs Folder in her garden at Ashridge Close

The shop was built in the late 1940s as a hardware store. In 1951 sisters Mrs Gladys Folder and Mrs Ruby Carter (both war widows) sold their properties in Northampton and Luton and came to Rushden with their children Julie age 13, Jill age 6, and Colin age 5, and bought Avenue Stores. They turned it into a General Stores selling groceries, sweets (still on ration), bread, cakes and esso paraffin, and were open seven days a week from 8am to 8pm with Thursday half day closing (by law you used to have to close for half a day). Customers used to leave their order and it was delivered to their door. Bread was also delivered, and they also had a lending library. In the summer teas were provided for picnics in Hall Park. At Christmas time the lounge of the house was turned into a Christmas shop with customers choosing their gifts for Christmas. In 1975 unfortunately Mrs Carter passed away and Mrs Folder sold the shop and went to live in Ashridge Close where she died in 2003. The shop closed after two years and was turned into a house.