After 35 years of business in Stamford, the iconic stationary shop Colemans closed its doors for the last time on Saturday. It marks yet another closure on the High Street of an independent retailer, an all too common casualty of Coronavirus, changing shopping trends and the rising cost of living.
The family owned stationary and art shop, Colemans, shut its doors for the last time on Saturday in Stamford, marking another High Street casualty of the move towards online shopping.
Colemans, founded by John Coleman in 1969, opened in Stamford in 1987 selling all manner of stationary, art supplies and craft equipment. Its red and white traditional frontage has since become a part of the town’s iconic street view. In recent years, however, several factors conspired to force the company eventually to close its doors last weekend.
The growing trend towards internet shopping was probably the first factor to appear, as shoppers quickly took advantage of the cheaper prices and economies of scale available online. As the Covid lockdown hit in 2020, the High Street then suffered its biggest loss of revenue on record while online shopping continued to surge and home deliveries took over from the more traditional shopping on foot. Now, following on from Covid, the recent cost of living crisis has seen footfall among the bricks and mortar shops continue to decline and businesses like Colemans have had no other choice than to downsize or close completely.
In a poignant notice posted on the now empty shop in Stamford, Managing Director, Joey Coleman, writes: “It is with great sadness and regret that we announce the closure of Colemans of Stamford…..We are so grateful for the business we have received from our loyal customers and we will miss you very much.”
Of the dozen or so Colemans branches that stretched across several counties, only the shop and headquarters at Oundle now remains open for business. As inflation continues to soar and prices continue to rise, it is likely that we will see more casualties like Colemans on our High Streets, particularly among the independent retailers. Support for our towns and villages is ever more vital, therefore, and shopping locally, where we can, may be one of the most useful things we can do for them in these difficult times.
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