An independent business owner in Bishop Auckland felt like she had no choice but to relocate to Darlington town centre after “a very difficult year” of declining footfall.
Kate’s Accessories, known for selling handbags and luggage, closed its doors earlier this month following “the closure of many amenities”, which caused a significant impact on the business.
Shop owner Kate Dobson, 35, from Wolsingham, took over the shop from the previous owners four years ago as they approached their retirement.
"They were going to retire or close it, so they asked if I wanted to buy the business off them. I took it over and have been running it ever since.”
However, after the closure of Bishop Auckland's bus station in September 2023, Kate felt like she was left with no choice but to relocate if she wanted her shop to survive.
“The original shop opened 50 years ago back when the town was booming, but now it’s just terrible.” She added:
“With the closure of the bus station we lost loads of shops, so the footfall was just getting less and less. I didn’t want to close it, it’s all I’ve known. We were hanging on.”
With the shop's new location in Darlington’s Queen Street shopping centre, Kate is hopeful that her customers from Bishop Auckland will follow her to the new location.
She said: “I had some loyal customers in Bishop who have come to us for years, and I’m hoping they will follow us through to the new shop. Hopefully, I can get some new customers too.”
And in a time where high-street shopping is on the decline, Kate believes in-person shopping is now more important than ever.
“A lot of people still like to come in and look at the products,” she added.
“The face-to-face interaction is so important to people, especially for the elderly community, as that could be the only interaction they have all day.”
“It’s such an exciting new chapter for her.” Michael said.
“When we realised the shop would have to move, we thought 'where would be the best place to move to?' Darlington is a little bit further for us to travel from Wolsingham, but I’m hoping it will be worth it.”
Pamela added: “The Darlington town centre is spending a lot of time on rejuvenating it and you can see impact. They have all the promise for Bishop Auckland, but it just doesn’t seem to ever happen."
With Christmas just around the corner, Kate is hopeful that this year will be better than the last.
“The worst time was last Christmas.” She said. “You think it’s going to be the best time of the year, but it was the worst because there are no shops left, so people weren’t coming here to do their Christmas shopping.
We came into Darlington town centre at Christmas time and it was thriving, which was really good to see. I’m hoping it will be the same this year.”
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In response to Kate’s Accessories closing in Bishop Auckland, Graham Wood, Durham County Council’s economic development manager, said: “We are disappointed that Kate’s Accessories is leaving Bishop Auckland, but we understand it remains a difficult time for many high street retailers, and we would like to wish the business the very best for the future.
“We are committed to supporting businesses and revitalising high streets across the county. This includes targeted support, training and grants for retail and hospitality businesses through our Towns and Villages programme.
“Bishop Auckland has received significant public and private sector investment over the last 12 years, but we appreciate the town is only part way through its regeneration journey.
"Work on a new bus station is nearing competition, and we are continuing to work with our partners to revitalise the town centre, helping it to become an international tourism and heritage destination capable of attracting tens of thousands of visitors each year.
“We would encourage any retail businesses in Bishop Auckland or elsewhere in the county that feel they could benefit from the support we offer to contact the economic development team on ced@durham.gov.uk.”
“I hope it takes off!” She said. “It’s obviously nerve-wracking as I was so established in Bishop, so it’s worrying moving to a new town.
"But I’m feeling positive about it, and I hope to keep growing it.”
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