As Rhuthun/Ruthin actually gets close to running out of rentable shop units, we mark some recent changes.
Elysium closed yesterday. Since the autumn of 2009, this was an unusual shop and one that overlapped and then kinf of took over from Pass it On, the longstanding second-hand clothes shop first above Grosvenor fruit & veg and then Well Street (where Escape is now). The difference, though, was that Elysium was almost entirely fair trade and somewhat alternative (Pass it On was rather mainstream).
Latterly, the shop opened Wednesdays or Thursdays to Saturdays only but lately the proprietrix's own health and that of her younger son resulted in some sporadic hours. After about five years, she has now answered a calling to lay ministry within the Church in Wales.
The shop will almost immediately be re-let to a furniture-come-fashion-come-home furnishing shop to be run by one of the former staff at The Star.
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From October 17th, The Star is to transform into The Star Bistro-Bar-Bed & Breakfast. Immediately prior, it will close for a week for alterations & decoration; and immediately again will be its last week serving Mexican food. The landlord accepts that Mexican is somewhat limiting and, after the novelty wears off, probably not continually popular. The menu was not sufficiently diverse and having branded as a Mexican, there was nowhere for the management to go in developing other dishes.
In comes a professional chef. Out goes some of the lounge furniture, as the mood of the place changes… again. After a long period of closure and a faltering re-opening during Christmas/New Year 2008/09, it re-started as a pub-with-food in the summer of 2010 but then transformed itself into a tapas bar. Its early tapas days were very successful, even though latterly it scored but two out of five for hygiene. Perhaps the threat of compulsory hygiene rating displays was a reason why that landlord called it a day in November 2013. It passed to one of his staff, who for a while served more traditional food before getting in the Mexican once at Wynnstay Road. That family then took over, and that is where we are today. That it will be a bistro offers some competition for the Myddleton on the Square but, interestingly, a bistro was always on the cards from 2011.
New on September 23rd at the former Choo Choo and before that Mococo unit in Castle Mews is Glad's Rags. Some sort of fashion retailing therefore returns to what was the long-standing Sandpiper, then selling female fashion seconds. Glad's moved from the indoor market and although open has limited stock at present. The beauty of this shop is that it will sell somewhat everyday and ordinary products, like underwear, not seen in Rhuthun since the passing of Ethel Austin. She beats Castlemews Carpets, though. Announced in the early summer, it still isn't fully fitted out or open. Castlemews Carpets is in the former Filby unit, opposite Glad’s.
Filby's proprietor was related to Choo Choo's proprietrix (I think he was her son). Filby's moved to Upper Clwyd Street but closed this month. In its place, recently opened, is Cwtch. This is a fashion shop and it has a modern but elegant feel to it.
The former Rowan Care is to become The Candy Shack, selling traditional sweets. The owners are currently fitting it out. What is it about such items? There's recently been a similar shop opened in Dinbych. But, in Rhuthun, we had Sweetie Heaven, Well Street, which closed. Can The Candy Shack do any better?
Next in the former Blackcurrant will be Paws dog grooming. That is also being fitted out. Far from being a traditional town centre shop, it certainly adds variety. It also beats an empty space. Blackcurrant itself struggled and even when it began reducing prices for its closing down sale there seemed to be little demand for their products. Fun-ky in the market hall seems to be having the same problem as it announced henceforward "Due to lack of interest in children's clothing in Ruthin, Fun-ky Fashions for Kids will soon solely be based on my eBay and my Facebook page until I find somewhere else."
We can report—at last—that last week work started on a £100,000 refit at Chatwin's. Hooray for that. A skip appeared on Thursday and has since been filled at least twice..
As reported previously, we are about to lose The Garment Spa from the town centre.
The sunbed solarium next to Lox Box off Well Street that re-opened on September 5th under new management seems to have closed within a week.
Meanwhile, on the industrial estate, RMF Autocentre is reported to have closed down unexpectedly. It recently took on an apprentice mechanic but by the third day they had to let him go. There was talk of nearby Automark taking RMF over but nothing transpired.
It is sad to report that Tudor Main closed at the end of August. It was one of Rhuthun's longest-surviving businesses and had been on the same spot for no fewer than 39 years. The premises are reported as sold and with the closure of the adjacent visitor centre comes an opportunity for the premises.
Work is starting on the longstanding vacant unit adjacent to Ruthin Tandoori though, as yet, we do not know for what reason. In most recent times, while painted black rather than the current ochre, it was the short-lived Mexican cantina Que Paso (see above) and before that a pizza takeaway. Older residents will remember the whole of Grosvenor Buildings being the Grosvenor fruit & veg shop with Pass it On above.
Elysium closed yesterday. Since the autumn of 2009, this was an unusual shop and one that overlapped and then kinf of took over from Pass it On, the longstanding second-hand clothes shop first above Grosvenor fruit & veg and then Well Street (where Escape is now). The difference, though, was that Elysium was almost entirely fair trade and somewhat alternative (Pass it On was rather mainstream).
Latterly, the shop opened Wednesdays or Thursdays to Saturdays only but lately the proprietrix's own health and that of her younger son resulted in some sporadic hours. After about five years, she has now answered a calling to lay ministry within the Church in Wales.
The shop will almost immediately be re-let to a furniture-come-fashion-come-home furnishing shop to be run by one of the former staff at The Star.
From October 17th, The Star is to transform into The Star Bistro-Bar-Bed & Breakfast. Immediately prior, it will close for a week for alterations & decoration; and immediately again will be its last week serving Mexican food. The landlord accepts that Mexican is somewhat limiting and, after the novelty wears off, probably not continually popular. The menu was not sufficiently diverse and having branded as a Mexican, there was nowhere for the management to go in developing other dishes.
In comes a professional chef. Out goes some of the lounge furniture, as the mood of the place changes… again. After a long period of closure and a faltering re-opening during Christmas/New Year 2008/09, it re-started as a pub-with-food in the summer of 2010 but then transformed itself into a tapas bar. Its early tapas days were very successful, even though latterly it scored but two out of five for hygiene. Perhaps the threat of compulsory hygiene rating displays was a reason why that landlord called it a day in November 2013. It passed to one of his staff, who for a while served more traditional food before getting in the Mexican once at Wynnstay Road. That family then took over, and that is where we are today. That it will be a bistro offers some competition for the Myddleton on the Square but, interestingly, a bistro was always on the cards from 2011.
New on September 23rd at the former Choo Choo and before that Mococo unit in Castle Mews is Glad's Rags. Some sort of fashion retailing therefore returns to what was the long-standing Sandpiper, then selling female fashion seconds. Glad's moved from the indoor market and although open has limited stock at present. The beauty of this shop is that it will sell somewhat everyday and ordinary products, like underwear, not seen in Rhuthun since the passing of Ethel Austin. She beats Castlemews Carpets, though. Announced in the early summer, it still isn't fully fitted out or open. Castlemews Carpets is in the former Filby unit, opposite Glad’s.
Filby's proprietor was related to Choo Choo's proprietrix (I think he was her son). Filby's moved to Upper Clwyd Street but closed this month. In its place, recently opened, is Cwtch. This is a fashion shop and it has a modern but elegant feel to it.
The former Rowan Care is to become The Candy Shack, selling traditional sweets. The owners are currently fitting it out. What is it about such items? There's recently been a similar shop opened in Dinbych. But, in Rhuthun, we had Sweetie Heaven, Well Street, which closed. Can The Candy Shack do any better?
Next in the former Blackcurrant will be Paws dog grooming. That is also being fitted out. Far from being a traditional town centre shop, it certainly adds variety. It also beats an empty space. Blackcurrant itself struggled and even when it began reducing prices for its closing down sale there seemed to be little demand for their products. Fun-ky in the market hall seems to be having the same problem as it announced henceforward "Due to lack of interest in children's clothing in Ruthin, Fun-ky Fashions for Kids will soon solely be based on my eBay and my Facebook page until I find somewhere else."
As reported previously, we are about to lose The Garment Spa from the town centre.
The sunbed solarium next to Lox Box off Well Street that re-opened on September 5th under new management seems to have closed within a week.
Meanwhile, on the industrial estate, RMF Autocentre is reported to have closed down unexpectedly. It recently took on an apprentice mechanic but by the third day they had to let him go. There was talk of nearby Automark taking RMF over but nothing transpired.
It is sad to report that Tudor Main closed at the end of August. It was one of Rhuthun's longest-surviving businesses and had been on the same spot for no fewer than 39 years. The premises are reported as sold and with the closure of the adjacent visitor centre comes an opportunity for the premises.
Work is starting on the longstanding vacant unit adjacent to Ruthin Tandoori though, as yet, we do not know for what reason. In most recent times, while painted black rather than the current ochre, it was the short-lived Mexican cantina Que Paso (see above) and before that a pizza takeaway. Older residents will remember the whole of Grosvenor Buildings being the Grosvenor fruit & veg shop with Pass it On above.