VILLAGERS in Bubwith know Louise Smith, proprietor of The Jug & Botttle, as The Oracle.

That is because she enjoys a lofty status through her profound knowledge of the village and because of the quality of her specialist off-licence and delicatessen.

Now there is a good chance that her status could soar even further – if she wins the Women In Enterprise title as well as the Small Business Of The Year category in The Press Business Awards 2010.

Louise left a well-paid job to run her village shop, at first in Main Street in 2002, and later moving to the old Victorian school at the heart of Bubwith.

It involved a renovation of the historical and important building which in 2008 earned the Chairman’s Award for enhancing the Built Heritage of the East Riding of Yorkshire. The residents showed their appreciation by contributing to turnover for the Jug & Bottle rising 25 per cent year on year.

That village loyalty is clear. Louise employs eight local ladies (only recently taking on one male member of staff).

No barcode reading for them as in supermarkets. They receive £100 per year so that they can try out the shop's products for themselves in order to make genuine recommendations to customers – and they get regular talks from wine wholesalers.

About 90 per cent of stock is sourced direct from the producer, with a good proportion being local and its more than 200 wines are sourced through a local wine importer.

Louise is an avid supporter of microbrewers and again local suppliers -– supported by the fact that 95 per cent of her beers and most of her wines cannot be found in supermarkets.

It was among the good reasons the Jug & Bottle was voted Pub of the Season by the York branch of CAMRA in 2003, while this year voting it through to the national finals of the Best Retailer for Real Ale in a Bottle.

It has a free-to-join wine club with quarterly wine tasting evenings and runs a free delivery service. It also sponsors the Bubwith Beerfest.

In 2007 she gave almost ten per cent of her profits to local groups through raffle prizes and donations. She said: “I don’t run the shop to make my fortune, but to be an integral part of the community.”

Thus spake the Bubwith Oracle.