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For Vicki and Chris Short, Directors of D&G Short, celebrating the company’s 100th anniversary is about far more than reaching an impressive business milestone.

It is about family, generations of customers who have walked through the door and a business that has been part of the fabric of Flitwick for a century.

From humble beginnings selling home-grown vegetables in 1926 to today’s specialist locksmith, security and gate automation business, D&G Short has continually evolved. Yet throughout five generations of the Short family, the principles behind the business have remained the same: personal service, trusted relationships, local roots and a strong connection to the community.

“We’re incredibly proud to be celebrating 100 years,” says Vicki. “There aren’t many family businesses that reach a milestone like this, and when you look back at everything the family has been through and how the business has changed over the years, it makes it feel even more special.”

Five generations in Flitwick

The D&G Short story began with Vicki’s great-grandparents, Charles and May Short, who established a small shop at 19 Station Road. In 1926, they began selling vegetables grown on the surrounding land, marking the beginning of a business that would evolve considerably over the next century.

Successive generations adapted the business to meet changing customer needs, moving through gardening supplies, hardware and DIY before Vicki and Chris’s father, Barry, introduced locksmithing and key cutting. That proved to be an important turning point, with D&G Short developing its expertise in security and perimeter protection.

Today, Barry and Ruth’s children, Chris and Vicki, lead the company, while Chris’s son Tom joined in 2019, becoming the fifth generation to work in the business. His particular focus is automated gates and perimeter security.

“Every generation has had to adapt,” explains Vicki. “What people needed from us 100 years ago is obviously very different from what they need today, but the principle behind the business hasn’t changed. We’re still a local family business and we still want people to know they can come to us and we’ll do our very best to help.”

A family business in every sense

The centenary is particularly poignant for the family following the passing of Vicki and Chris’s father, Barry, in 2024.

A familiar and much-loved figure locally, Barry grew up around the business before joining his father Dennis and eventually taking over alongside his wife Ruth. Chris joined the company in 1985, training as a locksmith and passing his Master Locksmith examinations, before Vicki later joined the family firm.

“Dad knew everybody, and everybody seemed to know Dad,” says Vicki. “He loved the business, but he also loved being part of the community. Chris and I are very conscious that we’re carrying on something that our parents, grandparents and great-grandparents worked incredibly hard to build.”

It is a traditional family business success story in the truest sense: generations working alongside one another and building a reputation through hard work, personal service and relationships.

Much more than the shop on Station Road

While D&G Short is a familiar name locally, Vicki believes many people are still surprised to discover just how much the business does today.

Working with both residential and commercial customers, D&G Short combines its long-established locksmith and ironmongery expertise with a comprehensive range of security and perimeter protection services.

Its locksmith services include 24/7 emergency call-outs, lock repairs and key cutting, while the shop stocks a wide range of ironmongery, hardware, locks, tools and fixings.

Alongside this, D&G Short supplies, installs and maintains automated gate and perimeter security solutions for homes and businesses. Its capabilities include residential and commercial gates, remote access and access control systems, audio and video intercoms, manual and electric garage doors, bollards and shutters.

It means the team can help with everything from an emergency lockout or replacement car key to a complete automated gate and access control solution for a commercial site.

“We sometimes find people know us for one particular thing,” says Vicki. “They might know that we cut keys, or they might know us as locksmiths because they’ve seen the shop in Flitwick, but they don’t necessarily realise the full range of work we do.

“We work with homeowners and businesses, helping with everything from locksmithing and access control through to automated gates and wider perimeter security. There is much more to D&G Short than people sometimes realise.”

Although firmly rooted in Flitwick, D&G Short works across Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire and will travel further when customers and projects require it.

Built on relationships and giving back

For Vicki, one of the reasons D&G Short has remained part of the community for so long is the relationships it has built with its customers.

“We know our customers and they know us,” she says. “People come in because their parents used us, or their grandparents used us. You can’t manufacture that kind of relationship overnight. It comes from being here, doing a good job and looking after people year after year.”

That relationship with the local area extends beyond business, with D&G Short continuing to support local events and initiatives.

As part of its centenary year, the company were main sponsors at the recent Ampthill Big Tent Weekend. For the family, it was also an opportunity to remember and honour Barry, reflecting both his love of the local area and the important role he played in D&G Short.

“Flitwick and the surrounding area is our home as well as where we work,” says Vicki. “People locally have supported us for generations, so being able to give something back means a lot to us.

“This year is particularly special because we’re celebrating the centenary without Dad. Being able to do things locally that recognise what he meant to us and honour his memory is really important.”

New connections and new opportunities

As D&G Short enters its second century, the family is also building new relationships across Bedfordshire’s wider business community.

The company recently joined Bedfordshire Chamber of Commerce and Vicki has been impressed by the welcome and support it has received.

“Everybody has been so friendly and approachable,” she says. “They genuinely want to help and connect you with people. We honestly don’t have a bad word to say about the Chamber. We’re really pleased we joined.”

It comes at an exciting time for the county, with major investment creating new opportunities for local businesses, including those arising from Universal’s plans in Bedfordshire.

With D&G Short already providing locksmithing, automated gates, access control and perimeter security solutions to commercial customers, Vicki is keen to see local businesses benefit from the opportunities ahead.

“There is a lot happening in Bedfordshire and Universal is obviously incredibly exciting,” she says. “For local businesses like ours, it’s about understanding where the opportunities might be, making the right connections and making sure people know the expertise that already exists here in the county.

“We’ve been here for 100 years and we want to be here for many more, so it feels like a really exciting time to be part of the Bedfordshire business community.”

The next chapter

For Vicki and Chris, the centenary is a chance to celebrate the past, but also to look ahead.

The business today may look very different from the small shop that opened a century ago, but adapting to changing customer needs has always been part of the D&G Short Story. With Tom now representing the fifth generation and helping to further develop its automated gate and perimeter security work, that story is continuing.

“We’re enormously grateful to everyone who has been part of D&G Short over the years - our family, our staff and, of course, our customers,” says Vicki. “You don’t reach 100 years on your own.

“The important thing is making sure we look after what previous generations created while continuing to move the business forward. Having Tom here makes that particularly special and, hopefully, the family name will be above the door for many more years to come.”

One hundred years on, D&G Short is still built on the same things that have sustained it for generations: expertise, personal service, trusted relationships and a genuine connection to the place it calls home.

Find out more

To find out more about D&G Short and its locksmith, gate automation, perimeter security, access control, key cutting and ironmongery services for residential and commercial customers, visit D&G Short or call 01525 712587.

To find out more about Bedfordshire Chamber of Commerce membership and how the Chamber helps businesses connect, grow and access new opportunities, visit Bedfordshire Chamber of Commerce.