Another hole has appeared in Rhuthun/Ruthin—and we’re not talking of the three trenches recently on Well Street, the two on Ffordd yr Wyddgrug or the one that recently closed Upper Clwyd Street.
No, there’s a new gap in town. I bet you hardly missed it. It's where the Garment Spa used to be (before it moved to Lôn Parcwr) but for 88 days commencing December 2nd, 2014 it was actually Fun-ky Fashions.
Fun-ky Fashions departed after the door closed on February 27th. It's one of a long line of children's clothes shop failures in recent times—remember Blaze, Blackcurrant and Butterfly?
The owner blamed a lack of trade. And also the fact that I personally came in (read the quote carefully):
It's interesting that one ill-informed comment on Facebook blamed business rates.
So, here's the problem. There are about 1,000 young people who live in Rhuthun aged 15 and under and a similar number in the surrounding villages. You used to be able to buy children's clothes in Rhuthun and now you can't. There’s nowhere we know in Dinbych to do so. Presumably, you need to get children's clothes from somewhere. Shopping online is one thing but children change size quickly (and that means repeat shopping trips) and they can also be finicky—there's no substitution for trying things on.
We all know the answer to the problem. Rhuthun struggles to support shops of this specialist nature. Wrecsam, Llandudno, Y Rhyl, Prestatyn, Broughton or Chester are easier to reach than ever before—and recently fuel's much cheaper, too. They're all more competitive and offer a greater choice and availability. This is sad but it's a fact. Fun-ky Fashions was a small retail space.
If a shop of this type has struggled then one has to wonder about other comparison shopping—and just what might fill the gap left by them. Fun-ky Fashions is not the only trader to complain of a slowdown in trade. The general churn of retailers tells its own story. Life for shopkeepers in 21st century Rhuthun is not easy.
And look at women's fashions. Rhuthun was once proud of its variety of women's clothes and accessories stores. Once, Rhuthun was even able to market itself as such. It was known for it. This sector's something of a shadow of its former self.
Ultimately, we all chose where we spend our money—and we can only spend it once. But a reducing choice in town, when it happens, is almost a self-fulfilling prophecy.
No, there’s a new gap in town. I bet you hardly missed it. It's where the Garment Spa used to be (before it moved to Lôn Parcwr) but for 88 days commencing December 2nd, 2014 it was actually Fun-ky Fashions.
The owner blamed a lack of trade. And also the fact that I personally came in (read the quote carefully):
"Plenty of people passing and looking in but Non coming in"I swear I neither called nor set foot in the place, honestly, not once (sorry, proprietrix, I'm rather too old).
It's interesting that one ill-informed comment on Facebook blamed business rates.
"It all boils down to the discusting (sic) rates you have to pay to have a shop in Ruthin"In the case of start-up enterprises, there's no business rates to pay for the first six months or 182 days.
Two-by-two. Unoccupied premises on Well Street adjacent to each other, with the former Fun-ky Fashions on the right
So, here's the problem. There are about 1,000 young people who live in Rhuthun aged 15 and under and a similar number in the surrounding villages. You used to be able to buy children's clothes in Rhuthun and now you can't. There’s nowhere we know in Dinbych to do so. Presumably, you need to get children's clothes from somewhere. Shopping online is one thing but children change size quickly (and that means repeat shopping trips) and they can also be finicky—there's no substitution for trying things on.
We all know the answer to the problem. Rhuthun struggles to support shops of this specialist nature. Wrecsam, Llandudno, Y Rhyl, Prestatyn, Broughton or Chester are easier to reach than ever before—and recently fuel's much cheaper, too. They're all more competitive and offer a greater choice and availability. This is sad but it's a fact. Fun-ky Fashions was a small retail space.
If a shop of this type has struggled then one has to wonder about other comparison shopping—and just what might fill the gap left by them. Fun-ky Fashions is not the only trader to complain of a slowdown in trade. The general churn of retailers tells its own story. Life for shopkeepers in 21st century Rhuthun is not easy.
And look at women's fashions. Rhuthun was once proud of its variety of women's clothes and accessories stores. Once, Rhuthun was even able to market itself as such. It was known for it. This sector's something of a shadow of its former self.
Ultimately, we all chose where we spend our money—and we can only spend it once. But a reducing choice in town, when it happens, is almost a self-fulfilling prophecy.
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Shops