'We tried to save it' - Owner of West Sussex village toy shop confirms closure of business
The owner of an East Wittering toy shop has served customers for the final time, after running the business for nearly 21 years.
Dharati Shah took the reins at Shells Toys And Gifts Ltd, in Cakeham Road, in July 2005.
Mrs Shah said: “We’ve had really good customer support. To every customer, thank you from the bottom of my heart.
“Unfortunately, we can’t run the business anymore because the landlord wants the property back.
“It’s a real shame. We tried to save it. We could not renew the lease.
“We’ve had nice goodbye messages, cards and presents from customers – saying they are going to miss us.”
The business has operated as a toy shop for 75 years – but Mrs Shah is unsure what the future holds for the site. She said the rise of online shopping impacted the success of the store in recent years.
“With whatever happens in life, we accept it and move on,” Mrs Shah said.
"We want to keep memories of the business going.
“Maybe we can do something online in the future. Once one chapter closes, another one can open – but not straight away.”