Lee and Natalie Topping took over the Post Office about a fortnight ago and have already begun transforming the former haberdashery, known as HM Cooke, along Horsemarket into what they will call the Village Sweet Shop.
Mr Topping said: “We have rearranged all the cards and stationery around the Post Office and this side is going to be an old-fashioned sweet shop.
“We have researched it and asked the locals. There used to be a sweet shop in the village but they retired. It did quite well.”
The plan, he added, is to sell little jars of sweets branded with the village name which people can buy as souvenirs.
Mr Topping, who is a carpenter and continues to run a joinery alongside his wife, also plans to fashion his own souvenirs, such as sheep plaques with the village name on them.
The couple are originally from Manchester but moved to Lunedale about three years ago where they opened their joinery business.
They discovered Teesdale when Mr Topping was commissioned to build a table for a home in Eggleston.
He said: “We fell on the area by chance. We popped into the village [Middleton] for lunch one day and fell in love with it.”
The couple hope to complete the renovations to the Post Office, complete with new branding, before the end of July and in time for the summer trade.
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