Bye Bye Old Market

Bye Bye Old Market

Some of you may follow us on Instagram and have seen our recent news - we have closed our Old Market shop.

As people say - you can’t break a few eggs without making an omelette. I suppose it’s also a sign of business growth and it's best not to be sentimental if it’s losing money - but - it’s still MY little shop. It’s the place where it all began and I’m absolutely gutted. 

I’ve tried everything to keep that little shop going as I know the City Centre isn’t for everyone, but I’m now in checkmate and I have no manoeuvres left. Post Covid,  the area hasn’t bounced back as expected and it has been losing money for the duration of the year. The big shop has been able to support the little shop but as customer spending has been getting worse and worse, and our bills getting higher and higher - it’s impossible to stay afloat. Something has to give and so we are parting with the baby shop. The Cabot Circus shop supports 4 times as many makers and has a much higher reach to celebrate the work of sustainable designers; more space to run workshops and more avenues to support the Bristol economy. 

I’m forever an optimist and fiercely determined. I will exhaust every single possible opportunity until I’m literally forced into submission - and to be honest even then I’ll still be kicking. I need to think fast and be dynamic with my decisions. The big shop in Cabot Circus is also in trouble as our energy bill has been predicted to be in the thousands. We are all collectively facing crippling challenges with energy in our personal lives and I don’t want to increase our prices so that it increases the pressure on you, our customers. It's time to close this little shop.

Those of you that have supported Prior since we opened in Old Market - you supported the growth of where Prior is today and closing Old Market doesn’t mean the end.  I hope you know that your support then and now is what took Prior to Cabot Circus. The plaque of everyone's names is coming with us and being installed on the wall. 🧡

- Beck x

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