Office to rent in Lewes

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Sadly another Independant shop closes

On 12 Nov 2013 at 9:24pm Jan Hooper wrote:

I see the two Twinkle Twinkle shops in Market Street have To Let signs in their windows, such a shame. Its the small independant shops that keep Lewes a vibrant and interesting shopping destination.

On 12 Nov 2013 at 9:32pm Border Control wrote:

Use it or lose it ! Eh ?

On 12 Nov 2013 at 11:07pm Decent Citizen wrote:

And they think shops under Hotel in old magistrates court will prosper!

On 12 Nov 2013 at 11:08pm Belladonna wrote:

There's only so many trinkets a small town can support in the best or times, let alone a recession. And ridiculously high rents don't help either.

On 12 Nov 2013 at 11:09pm Decent Citizen wrote:

And they think shops under old Magistrates will prosper!

On 12 Nov 2013 at 11:15pm Decent Citizen wrote:

There are older.elder folk behind and in front of supposed hotel.I am thinking weekend cheap drinks etc to get custom.All of which will affect the elder,elderly living close by.

On 12 Nov 2013 at 11:22pm Decent Citizen wrote:

The elder folk in Court Road already suffer from the knuckle dragger's late at night from those who treat late, early hrs of morning as middle of day with noise etc.Do we need more? No, we don"t.

On 13 Nov 2013 at 12:28am lewes resident wrote:

sad maybe but Lewes is full of these little shops selling over priced goods , we need some decent ordinary shops not "rip off " ones.

On 13 Nov 2013 at 1:25am bookworm wrote:

Just like the olde book shop at the top of keere street! Selling books at higher than retail prices and titles that are still available elsewhere! Obviously doesn't want the sales!

On 13 Nov 2013 at 3:06pm Old Cynic wrote:

We 'had' a good mix of chain and independent in Lewes, we were very lucky in that respect. These are the shops that interest the tourist and make the town lively, attractive and different. If we are overrun with so called 'ordinary shops' we will loose all that makes Lewes such a good place to live. If 'lewes residents' want more in the way of ordinary shops they could try the dazzling array to be found in such vibrant and interesting places such as Uckfield, Haywards Heath and East Grinstead - dull clone towns full of not much. You could be dropped, blindfolded, in so many UK towns and not have a clue where you are 'cos they all look the same, have the same shops, have the same shops closed / boarded up and the same places to eat! We are really lucky and need to use or independent stores - Twinkle had some reasonably process things but, as with all clothes retailers, its a tough market out there and many of us are 'making do and mending'

On 13 Nov 2013 at 4:24pm Another Lewes resident wrote:

Either: 1. Law of supply and demand at work, i.e. too little demand for whatever Twinkle was selling to cover running costs (and/or to cover costs as they increased).
Or: 2. The current owner has decided to give up running the shop and no-one wants to take it over as a business.
In both cases I would suggest it shows there may be insufficient demand to make the business viable in the longer term.
Why might there be a lack of demand? Goods offerred are not seen as good value for money (in current economic climate), cheaper but similar goods are on offer elsewhere (in local stores or on-line), local customer base too small to support business, location of store is too far off the beaten tarck to gather much "passing trade"....
Its a harsh market, only survivors will be outlets offerring what customers want/need. Relying on tourists/one-off passing trade etc is fine but a retail outlet really needs a steady "repeat" demand from its catchment area to survive.
I often wonder how many of the "overpriced" designer outlets and coffee shops that have taken over from the "useful" mix of businesses that were here 25 years ago survive. A good recession always sorts the real winners from the "also rans".
No doubt everyone will be quick to blame the dreaded Tescos for the demise of the town centre, but ultimately it is not Tescos that are to blame, it is those of us who chose to take our business there rather than continue to spend our cash in the High Street.
Maybe Lewes needs far more "good value for money" outlets for "Mr and Mrs Average-Income" and less trendy "designer" shops for the monied DFLs.
Harsh, perhaps, but I think it's true.

On 13 Nov 2013 at 5:35pm shopkeeper wrote:

FACT ,Twinkle Twinkle are moving to bigger better premises , Not closing .
They are a very successful business ..

On 13 Nov 2013 at 5:44pm Andy wrote:

Two words: Business rates.
This is the biggest burden on most independent shops and the reason why there are so many charity shops (they're exempt).
Commercial rents for shops have stayed fairly flat for about a decade now. The residential market is very different. Ask any commercial agent and they will say shops are very difficult to let.
If you're looking for a solution - scrap business rates for a fairer tax that does not penalise local independent shops.

On 13 Nov 2013 at 9:16pm beanie wrote:

On 13 Nov 2013 at 10:29pm Scary Portas wrote:

Location, location, location! Perhaps they have twigged that moving to another bigger and better placed premises like the current MIMI boutique on upper High Street or the Old Delilah shop near the Brewers Arms, or one of shops on School Hill will pay dividends. People are laxy and dont like going off the beaten track, so you need to be some where noticeable - the backstreets are for secondary retail, not impulse shopping -see what Bunny & Belle have done. Good luck Twinkle Twinkle!

On 14 Nov 2013 at 12:17pm Lewes Lawyer wrote:

Phew, pleased to hear that Twinkle Twinkle is not closing. What with Bright Ideas closing I was concerned that the High Street would be overrun by the likes of East and Crew (I mean really, who shops there, it's Lewes not Salcombe.)
I heard that there is an independent shop moving into "Popinski" (opposite Sussex Stationers) after Christmas. I really hope they do well, they're not off the beaten track so they should get enough people in.

On 14 Nov 2013 at 12:39pm Market Street Resident wrote:

That is a shame. They're lovely neighbours. I hope it all works out for them, wherever they end up. I am very keen to find out what, if anything, will take their place.