It's the go-to place for Dawlish residents wanting gifts, cards, decorations and accessories for any kind of celebration: whether it's a birthday, wedding, Christmas, anniversary – you head for Presents. But today, Saturday, May 22, the shop is celebrating its own anniversary: it's 25 years since the start of the family business. Congratulations, Presents!

When the Cross family (Pete, Pam, Ali and Simon) took over the shop in 1996, it was known as Present Time. The building was originally a smart town villa, built on land owned by John Edy Manning, around 1810, on the site of a former fisherman's cottage. In the 1950s John Avant, son of cabinet maker Thomas Avant, moved to the premises and it became GB Avant – House Agents, Auctioneers, Furnishers, Undertakers and Removers. The business remained as Avants until 1984 when it was bought and turned into a gift shop.

In 1996, Pete and Pam had been in the gift trade for many years and owned, at the time, two other shops, one in Widecombe and one in Sidmouth. Pete was also a sales agent in the gift trade, as were Simon and Ali. On a personal level, the first five years saw great happiness in the birth of Ali's sons Ross in 1998 and Alex in 2001 - and the saddest time of their life when they lost Simon in 1999 to a brain tumour.

Today, there are three generations of Cross/Aitchisons running the shop, with Ross having joined the business in 2019 after graduating. But their involvement in Dawlish goes much further than that; the Presents team have always played a key role in supporting the town and its events. They've been heavily involved in the local Chamber of Trade and Commerce over the years, with Pete chairing the group for several years and Ali organising the pumpkin trail and Easter Egg trails each year. Ali was also one of the main organisers of Dawlish Air Show from 2009 until its final year in 2015.

What makes Presents so special

Ali said: "The ethos of Presents of Dawlish has always been to sell appealing products at affordable prices in a relaxed yet attentive environment.

"We have been called an emporium, as we sell such a diverse range of stock from cards to skulls, Dawlish souvenir products to Thorntons confectionary, football memorabilia to silver jewellery, and handbags and soft toys to soap!

"We try to keep up to date with 'on trend' products and are forever evolving to keep our shop interesting and successful.

"In the early days of owning the shop, we relied heavily on the tourist trade. Over the years, as people have chosen to go on package holidays abroad and the rules around taking children out of school in term times have changed, we have looked more and more to our local customers.

"To this end, we started stocking cards late in the noughties, and this area has grown exponentially. We are now probably the biggest independent card shop in the South West and have people coming from all over the region to buy our cards! We have many repeat customers from Wales and further beyond who come in with a list of all the cards they need every time they visit. In 2011, we took on a Thorntons franchise which has proved very successful and people love our personalised Easter Eggs, bottles, plaques etc."

Who remembers Billy the Fish?

While cards and chocolates are always popular, there are some weird trends in the trade for gifts and novelties – and Ali remembers them well.

"There have been so many crazes over the years. Two of the most memorable have been Ty Beanies in the late 1990s (this was collecting at its height, with people fighting in the shop to get their hands on the new designs) and the animated fish Billy Bass singing 'Take me to the river'. Other crazes that have come and gone over the years include Angry Birds, Loom Bands, Emoji Cushions, Fidget Spinners and Squishies.

"Last year's 'must have' product was inevitably the mask due to the ongoing pandemic.

"In 2014 Pete (AKA Mr England, the England Rugby Mascot) wrote a book titled, 'They Call Me Mr England'. In November 2014 the book was launched in the shop with a book signing and drinks and nibbles. Such a memorable evening, with customers from far and wide."

After a tough year, looking to the future

All in all, many memorable occasions over 25 years - including the incredibly challenging past 12 months or so when the parties, celebrations and family gatherings that are Presents' raison d'etre were made impossible by the Covid-19 pandemic.

But now, with restrictions lifting and events beginning to take place again, it's time for Presents to look to the future – and perhaps raise a celebratory glass to everyone who's made the last 25 years possible.

Ali said: "Our business would not be where it is today without the loyal support and hard work of our amazing team for which we are so thankful. We all love what we do and love the town, the community and visitors that we serve. Here's to another 25 years!"