A popular corner shop on Leopold Road is shutting its door’s for good. Many would be quick to blame Waitrose for Your Local Newsagent’s closure, as the large supermarket opened only in the summer of 2010 offering many services the newsagent did. When planning permission was being granted for Waitrose local residents questioned whether business would be taken away from Leopold Road. The corner shop was truly part of the Leopold Road parade and a part of the community. At Christmas as part of the Leopold Road Fair the owners would cook food for passersby to help raise money for charity.
The shop sold newspapers, magazines, confectionary and those little bits and pieces that everyone forgets to buy! It fitted in well with the other shops along the parade, and only recently in the summer it underwent a complete refurbishment inside and new lick of paint. It really smartened the shop up and in no way suggested nearly half a year later they would be on the brink of closure. “It will be a real loss to the community; I would regularly pop in even if I didn’t need anything just so I could have a chat. My daughter would deliver newspapers to for them and they were always so lovely to her. It’s such a shame.” Said Suzanne Wilson. Emily Walford said “The people were always so friendly to me and even though I never bought much they always cared and asked me how I was.”
What will open in their place is unknown as it is still early days. There is still some hope the shop will stay open, but the empty selves tell a different story. The parade is home to unique independent restaurants and shops so hopefully something as benefitting to the local area will open.
