If you need something in Maplewick, there’s a good chance Nora Pickles has it.
Nora is the owner of Maplewick Minimart and one of those people who seems to know half the village by name. She’s warm, practical and always ready for a chat, which makes the minimart as much a part of village life as it is a place to buy milk and groceries.
Nora is also a busy mum.
She is raising her two daughters, April and Sophie, on her own — which is no small job when one daughter is forever racing off looking for her next adventure and the other is usually buried in a book!
The girls couldn’t be more different, but Nora knows them both inside out.
She has the patience to keep up with April’s endless energy and the understanding to give Sophie the quiet space she needs. Somehow, she manages to keep family life, the minimart and everything else Maplewick throws at her moving along.
Nora has a real love for baking too, and there’s often something homemade coming out of the kitchen.
Her little vintage delivery van is almost as recognisable around Maplewick as she is. It’s a battered-but-loved turquoise and cream Bedford-style van with mustard details, usually packed with groceries, crates, tins, jars and, naturally, plenty of pickles.
The side carries her familiar message:
“NORA PICKLES
MAPLEWICK MINIMART
If we haven’t got it… ask.”
And on the back, there’s a warning for anyone helping with deliveries:
“PLEASE SHUT THE DOORS — Things keep escaping.”
Nobody is quite sure what has escaped.
Nobody really wants to ask.
Between running the minimart, raising April and Sophie, baking and keeping up with the daily happenings of Maplewick, Nora has plenty on her plate.
But somehow, there’s nearly always time for one more customer, one more conversation and one more cup of tea.
That’s Nora.
She keeps the shelves stocked, the family together and, in her own quiet way, a little bit of Maplewick running.
