News / redfield
Once-thriving skate shop to close doors for good
A hike that has seen rent more than double is the final nail in the coffin for The Park Skate Shop.
The independent business that has been a part of Church Road in Redfield for 15 years will close its doors for good on Saturday.
It is the latest in a run of closures in the area over the last two months, which have seen the loss of Poco Deli and Two Six Four further up the road, while the Faraway Tree announced it would be shutting for good at the end of last month.
is needed now More than ever
Owner of The Park Skate Shop James Stokes tells Bristol24/7 it’s sad to be going as he packs away items ahead of the shop’s final day on Saturday.
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“Up to 2018, it was all going really well, then an increase in Amazon and online shopping put quite a lot of pressure on us,” says James.
“Then, obviously, Covid wasn’t great, we shut quite a lot, and our distributors are now selling to the general public via online at the same prices at which we buy them for, which means there’s no profit in our business any more.
“Now the landlord has increased the rent to more than double what we were paying so there’s been a few dilemmas that have led to this. The loss of parking over the back of the shop as well, that’s not helped.”
James tells Bristol24/7 that in the years after he first opened in 2009, the shop was thriving and enjoying a steady trade from the many skaters who would come to use St George Wheel Park from far and wide.
But, he says, since the toilets were decommissioned – and replaced with three individual cubicles – and since the skate ramps have been allowed to fall into disrepair, people have stopped using the park as much and stopped coming into the shop.
“When that park was at its peak, this shop was at its peak,” says the business owner.
The shop is holding a sale up until its final day of trading on Saturday.
The Park Skate Shop is closing its doors for good on Saturday after 15 years
All photos: Ellie Pipe
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