THE future of a Llangernyw store is up in the air after being taken off the market.

Dylan Baines and Debbie Jones have owned and run the Meirion Stores and Post Office in Llangernyw for six years, and have worked hard to transform the site into the "booming business" it is today.

Late last year the pair put their business up for sale in a unique way, deciding to raffle it off.

In order to be in with a chance of winning the store, entrants needed to purchase a raffle ticket for £25 and answer the following question: how long has the shop been trading for?

But despite plenty of interest, from as far away as Asia, the couple have decided to pull it off the market and scrapping the raffle.

Mr Baines said: "The cost was going to be phenomenal. There had been quite a bit of interest but there already been a massive cost and we were going to need to make much more.

"We have refunded everyone and given all the money back."

Mr Baines, 47, was hoping to raise enough money through the raffle to donate £100,000 to cancer research as well as covering all the costs from the store which had been self valued at about £320,000-325,000.

The pair are set to continue on with the business but said he had no long term plans and was taking things week by week.

Mr Baines and Ms Jones have run the store for the past six years and he said they have turned it around to what it is today.

He said: "We have worked hard to get it into a good place. It hadn't been touched since 1954, but we have turned it around.

"It was on its knees and now it is doing really well."

The business sells everything from meat to plants, a post office and includes a newly renovated holiday let.