News and Things

Sat 27 Feb 2016, 18:47

What time will the shop close ?

Sat 27 Feb 2016, 15:57

Just to remind people tomorrow (Sunday 28th) is News and Things last opening day.

All cards are 50% off and stationary is 20% off. We'll still be serving tea and coffee as well. It'd be lovely to see people before we close to say goodbye.

Many Thanks, Jacob

Thu 11 Feb 2016, 20:14

Alex, artists continue to need art supplies, despite having computers! And writers continue to print things out--often even when they should not!

Shillbrook stationery continues to supply art materials and stationery in Carterton; it's just the Witney store that's closed. Margaret L. Johnson supplies a super range of box files, folders, staplers etc., as well as good range of paper, print cartridges, pens and the like. They will continue to operate online, I believe, but I know I'm not the only person who will miss choosing in their store. (Indeed, I found about the projected closure from people in Witney who were really sorry about it!)

We already have a couple of shops that sell a small range of such things. My suggestion was that they investigate expanding their range. But, sadly, I agree that there's not sufficient trade in Charlbury for a store that specialises only in stationery and art supplies.

Thu 11 Feb 2016, 06:13 (last edited on Thu 11 Feb 2016, 06:26)

60 years ago my father Charlbury Barber appealed to have his Rates lowered as the cattle market had closed and less farmers came to have their haircut. As a gesture they were lowered by 1d.
Times have always changed
I don't think some writers to the Forum realise the 'overheads' in running a small business

Thu 11 Feb 2016, 05:48

Re: Christine's comment about a stationary shop - if businesses are struggling to survive in Witney, how are they going to survive in Charlbury? Don't most writers use computers these days? Sorry to be negative but i can't see it being a viable business, but I'd love to be proved wrong but the margins made would probably not even pay for the heating! Just being realistic.

Wed 10 Feb 2016, 14:17

Gill's in Chippy are a brilliant hardware store. I'll be in there on Thursday!

Tue 9 Feb 2016, 10:38

Harpers in Chipping Norton also closing, so not much hope for a hardware store. Also lack of parking in Charlbury, especially Sheep Street would deter anyone setting up a shop.

Tue 9 Feb 2016, 08:35

Thanks for the planning reminder Elaine and this is indeed the case
Although the town council said we regretted the loss of business premises it was approved for change of use
Given that there is probably no one ready to set up anewbusinesx now I think it is most likely to become a residential property

Mon 8 Feb 2016, 21:32

With Margaret L. Johnson's Witney stationery store rumoured to be closing in March and with the Witney Shillbrook stationery and art-material store also recently closed, it's possible that there is a gap in the market for somebody in Charlbury to supply a good range of business stationery and art supplies. After all, Charlbury is home to many writers, artists and people in publishing, and not everyone wants to order on-line.

Perhaps one of the existing Charlbury shops could investigate expanding their range in these directions.

Mon 8 Feb 2016, 19:02

Strikes me that yet another café, organic food or not, is the very last thing that's likely to succeed in a town centre largely devoid of people on a week day. How long is it since Ciardi's closed? I hesitate to suggest it, but maybe we need to think harder. Has retail actually changed so fundamentally that to keep on insisting that Charlbury 'needs' the range of shops it had in the 1950s is no longer sensible? After all, if the need was as great as all that, then the shops wouldn't keep closing ...

Mon 8 Feb 2016, 09:46

News and things have already got Change of use from shop and cafe to residential use. 10/0778/P/FP and was extended so is still valid

Sun 7 Feb 2016, 21:08

Since my original post I've thought a bit more about Charlbury/shopping. My ideal replacement for News & Things would be something foodie but simple and local: a farmshop/cafe serving ethical/healthy/organic food, complementary to the really nice deli next door. Good coffee, locally-baked bread, croissants, cake, locally-sourced fruit and vegs...

Fri 5 Feb 2016, 10:33 (last edited on Fri 5 Feb 2016, 10:34)

Well David if what you say with reference to the reduced bus service does go ahead then surely there will be more people who could shop locally ? true the online shopping side could increase but maybe and this is just a maybe then more people might venture down past the co-op and realise that they do have some great shops in the town centre where they can get most things, and you never know a little hardware store or other choice shops could make a come back and revive the town centre there's enough empty shops to fill, but the number one thing we do need in the town centre is add a couple of parking spaces that are limited to about 20 minute parking slots between the hours of say 9am - 6pm Mon-sat so they could allow easier parking for people to just park and shop briefly this would be a major boost to the town centre as its more of an incentive for people to use the town centre shops if they could actually park near them, I know there is the parking in the main car park but these spaces are limited and lets be honest a lot of people don't want or rather can't be bothered to walk the few hundred yards down the road to the town centre shops, but come to think of it too many people can't be bothered to park in the main carpark and insist on parking on the double yellow lines outside the co-op entrance and then clog up the entrance to the car park creating havoc there, but that's another argument.

Thu 4 Feb 2016, 14:39

I agree it is depressing and the news of a reduced bus service is only likely to make things worse. It is puzzling though as Liz says that other places of a similar size manage to have thriving stores [including hardware stores]. I wonder whether being in the Cotswolds we have a greater proportion of second homes whose owners only visit occasionally and are therefore economically inactive in the town.

Thu 4 Feb 2016, 09:20

Sounds like a downward spiral till you get left with one village shop/coop... but all may not be lost.
We used to live near a market town in Sussex not much bigger than C/b (c 5000) which supported a thriving high street with full range of shops, services, banks, pubs etc. As a result it was also a destination for miles around despite proximity to Brighton and having worse public transport links than C/b.
Sorry for past failure but decline may still be reversible, esp in a climate increasingly geared towards act/buy locally. Let's hope for someone with the energy and optimism to have a go.

Wed 3 Feb 2016, 21:26

Sadly it would appear that Charlbury doesn't have the footfall required to support a business entirely reliant on passers by. Having worked at The Heat Store for over two years I can confirm that even on Saturdays the centre of Charlbury often resembles a ghost town. It's a real shame but I can't think of many new businesses that would thrive starting from scratch these days.

Wed 3 Feb 2016, 15:35 (last edited on Wed 3 Feb 2016, 15:47)

With Shrove Tuesday, or Pancake Day, next Tuesday February 9th, as well as ringing the bells, why don't you get your eggs and milk from News and Things. I reckon their free range eggs are the best quality/buy for their price, in the whole of Oxfordshire!

Just spotted this interesting selection of unusual recipes and articles about Shrove Tuesday/Pancake Day

www.telegraph.co.uk/food-and-drink/features/when-is-pancake-day-2016-and-why-do-we-celebrate-it/

Wed 3 Feb 2016, 15:24

Sad direction to be heading in, I hope Richard is right about future trends.
What's the new cycle route?

Wed 3 Feb 2016, 11:57

Agreed Tim - thank you Bill and Veronica for 20 years of supporting the town, and best of luck for you and your family in the future.

It just goes to stress the importance of using our town centre shops. I'm optimistic that we can turn the decline round in time, with initiatives such as Walkers are Welcome and the new cycle route, but first and foremost it needs Charlbury people to support the shops.

I think it'd be difficult to make an ironmonger work: low-margin items like nails and screws won't earn enough to pay the rent, while a one-shop business couldn't price high-margin items competitively against the big retailers (never mind Amazon). But I'd love to be proved wrong!

Wed 3 Feb 2016, 10:21

Liz,there was a traditional ironmonger 20 years ago, almost next door to News and Things, it closed for the same reasons. We used to have an excellent Butchers too. Even longer term residents than me can list lots of traders who have closed over the years because they were not being used. Used to be a Barclays Bank....

Wed 3 Feb 2016, 09:55

Oh I'm really sorry to hear this. Like most people (probably) we get most of our news online nowadays, but do go in there occasionally for papers and magazines and will miss their pleasant service. Hope for another shop to replace it. There's a gap in the market for a hardware/household shop along the lines of Robert Dyas...

Tue 2 Feb 2016, 19:29 (last edited on Wed 3 Feb 2016, 09:12)

Just to say that it was sad to read that News and Things is set to close at the end of the month and I would like to thank them all for providing Charlbury with news papers no matter what the weather threw at them !

Charlbury is losing yet another valuable shop something it cannot afford to do I hope that the premises can still be retained as a retail establishment in some form or other.
The main centre of the town is ever decreasing and we need more footfall to stop this happening sadly when the so called " community centre " is built then the library will move there so yet more footfall will be lost and then it won't be long before all you will see is tumble weed blowing about the empty streets, i can only hope that this community survey thingy coming up will help and come up with some good solid suggestions to get the town back to the thriving place it once used to be.
Farewell News and Things and thank you for everything.