AS I stepped into the People’s Supermarket for a volunteer shift, I was immediately drawn to the bright-coloured graffiti on the walls, writes Tom Burrows.

“People were sceptical to start with about that,” said assistant manager Sarah Thorne, “but they have come to really appreciate it.”

Much like the outlandish artwork, the supermarket has grown in popularity since its launch in July last year.

Ms Thorne, who helped establish the store with Chris Waites and Rachel Howard, said: “We have seen a rapid change.

“The store has grown so much in terms of stock and the number of customers we serve.

“This is down to the strong connection we have with our customers, who always give us direct feedback on what they want in the store.”

The People’s Supermarket is based on a similar supermarket in Holborn, London, which was itself modelled on the Park Slope Co-op, a pioneering food co-op in Brooklyn, New York.

The store in Cowley Road has been so successful that another Oxfordshire shop could be opened in Didcot, or elsewhere in Oxford, but no details have yet been confirmed.

The quirky store aims to bring independently produced food and a more sustainable form of supermarket shopping to the Oxfordshire community.

The shop sells eggs from Mayfield Farm in New Yatt, bread produced from grains grown on farms around the county and milled in Wessex Mill, Wantage, and gourmet ice cream from Greenlands Farm in Wallingford.

In the past fortnight, Oxford Deli company has started to supply locally-produced samosas to the store.

Amin Ali, 39, who works for the deli, said: “No words can describe how good I think this place is.

Oxford has been crying out for a place like this.”

But the success of the store was almost blighted by the recent fire at Cycle King, only two shops down on the Cowley Road.

Ms Thorne said: “We were so lucky. There was lots of smoke in the shop and ash in the yard, but we were only closed for a day.”

Local volunteers run the shop by working four hours every month in return for a 20 per cent discount on purchases. About 500 volunteers have paid the £12 fee to purchase a share in the non-profit organisation.

Membership also guarantees the volunteers an equal say in the overall direction of the supermarket.

Joe Davey, 29, who was preparing the soup of the day in the People’s Kitchen, said: “There is a potential for people to have their own input, which you just don’t get in a big organisation.”

For my volunteer shift, I was presented with a People’s Supermarket T-shirt and taught how to work the till before being given the envious task of stacking shelves.

During the course of my shift, the strong community ethos in the shop was clear. Many customers greeted each other and were happy to chat with the newcomer in their ranks.

Ruth Kevin, 56, and her daughter Nim, 30, of Westbury Crescent, Oxford, said: “It’s very friendly here. As soon as you walk in, you are welcomed. It’s not like going to other supermarkets where you are nameless.”

As I left the shop following my four-hour shift, Our House by Madness came on the radio – a feel- good community song, reflecting the spirit of the People’s Supermarket.