15/07/2024
ANNOUNCEMENT 💛 We're sad to announce we'll be closing down late July, with our last trading day being July 27th.
I've been trying to upload a video but Instagram isn't having it, so I'll have to summarise in text instead - apologies!
First of all, I'd like to thank you all for being part of the store for well over two years. It's sprouted a wonderful community and we're going to miss all our regulars, as well as all the Newtown locals we've come to be close friends with.
The current economic climate is unfortunately taking a toll on a lot of small businesses, and we haven't been immune. With the cost of living the way it is right now, everyone is struggling - individuals and small businesses - and we've heard similar stories from owners around us too. Our lease was originally going to last until February 2025, but I don't foresee the climate getting any better before then and making ends meet is already really hard, so we'd rather end on our own terms.
A second reason is safety - we've had quite a few awful experiences with people threatening our staff's safety/being aggressive and the police have been less than useless in making the area safer, or even following up on incidents. We've done all we can to be safe, but without any engagement from council or police there's not a lot we can do from our end.
The third reason is me - Lucy, the owner - I've been running the shop as a volunteer for two years and I'm just getting too tired to keep going on top of my other full-time job. With the economic climate the way it is, it's starting to negatively affect my financial and physical wellbeing, and I unfortunately just cannot continue.
I am really thankful for our two wonderful staff - Courty and Krys - and to all our resident artists and practitioners for making the shop what it is today. Thank you all for making our dream come true for these couple of years, and we hope to see you once more.
