From 1852 to 1860 there appears to have been no shop at all in Earlsdon, though housewives must have desired one keenly. A few provisions — possibly candles, flour and tea — were obtainable from the pubs, and butter, milk and eggs from local farms. Anything else meant a trek to the city. In mid-1860, Samuel Ward, a well-established baker and provision merchant, took advantage of what he saw as a golden business prospect and opened Earlsdon’s first provision store.
The site he chose was on the corner of Moor Street and Warwick Street, flanked by a dwelling house for the owner and a bakehouse, storerooms and stables on Warwick Street. While Samuel saw to the baking, his wife and younger sister managed the shop. The variety of goods on offer was impressive — by 1889 the Poole family, who had taken over in 1880, were advertising teas from Ceylon, India and China; sauces, pickles and preserves from France and Italy; hams and bacon from Wiltshire and America; Gorgonzola, Camembert, Cheddar, American and Old Warwick cheeses; Danish butter; canned salmon from Canada; fresh herring from Scotland; New Zealand mutton; luncheon tongues from Chicago; Huntley and Palmer biscuits — and much more.
The property stayed in the Poole family until 1923, when Robert Yeomans of Ivy Farm, Canley, bought it as a dairy. Competition from other shops that had opened in Earlsdon Street — including the Co-op — eventually forced it to close after over sixty years as a provision store. It then became a high-quality boot and shoe shop under Mr Brough, which remained until 1981. After various subsequent uses it now serves as a charity shop.