General Manager — Hospitality, Retail & Creative Operations

My client is a small, independent shop and creative café based around the Totnes area.

We're a welcoming, community-focused space combining a café, small retail shop, pottery painting and creative workshops.

We're not a large business or a corporate operation — we're a small team, and everyone plays a hands-on role in keeping the shop running.

We're now looking for an experienced General Manager to take responsibility for the day-to-day running of the shop and help us continue to grow.

This is a hands-on management position covering the different parts of our small business.

You'll oversee the café, retail shop and creative activities
, while managing the team and making sure everything runs smoothly day to day.

We're looking for someone who can take ownership rather than needing constant direction — someone who notices when something needs doing, takes action and cares about the small details that make a shop feel welcoming and well looked after.

• Oversee the day-to-day running of the café and shop
• Manage and support our team, including rotas, training and performance
• Maintain high standards of customer service, cleanliness and presentation
• Manage café and retail stock, ordering and suppliers
• Keep the shop and retail displays organised, attractive and well stocked
• Ensure pottery painting and workshops are prepared and running smoothly
• Monitor sales, stock and day-to-day costs
• Deal confidently with customer queries and issues
• Put simple systems in place to keep the business organized
• Make sure the shop looks and feels its best every day
• Work closely with the founders on the development of the business

We're looking for someone with previous management experience in hospitality, retail, leisure, events or another customer-facing environment
.

You may currently be a Deputy/Assistant Manager, Operations Manager, Hospitality Manager, Retail Manager or Venue Manager and be ready to take on more responsibility.

You'll ideally be:

• Naturally organised and proactive
• Confident managing a small team
• Hands-on and happy working alongside the team
• Commercially aware
• Attentive to detail
• Confident making decisions independently
• Warm and personable with customers
• Comfortable working in a small, independent business where everyone gets involved

Most importantly, we're looking for someone who takes ownership
.

This is a great opportunity for someone who enjoys being part of a small, independent business and wants genuine responsibility for how the shop operates and feels every day.