City shop could close with owners set to retire
Coles Sewing Centre in Lower Parliament Street is looking for a new owner
- Published
A city centre shop run by a couple for almost 30 years could close for good.
The owners of Coles Sewing Centre, Rose and Neil Coles, are looking for new owners as they prepare to retire after 28 years at the helm.
The shop in Lower Parliament Street, Nottingham, sells sewing machines and haberdashery, as well as running classes including dressmaking and furniture making.
If a new owner does not come forward, the store will close in December.
Neil Coles and Rose Coles have run the business since 1996
Mr Coles said: "It's been an amazing journey. It's built into a community who want to sew and we became part of it.
"It's been an amazing 28 years of being with people in Nottingham, people have become lifelong friends from coming here to classes.
"I've been in the sewing trade since leaving school, I started in my father's small family business in Leicester and we had an enquiry from a customer in Nottingham and that's how it all began."
Mrs Coles added: "We've seen people develop from being new sewers, to go to university and into the textile trade.
"The sewing courses are a big thing for us, people come who don't know anything and learn a new hobby, people become friends and so it's a good community."
Sewer Gill Davidson says she is "devastated" at the thought Coles might have to close
Gill Davidson, a sewer who has attended classes over the past 15 years, said: "I came to learn how to make curtains properly and this has been my second home.
"Sharing our ideas and expertise has been wonderful. I have no idea where I'm going to go now. I've met people here who have flown in from the Channel Islands to learn how to use their sewing machines."
Karen Robinson started attending classes a year ago
Fellow sewer Karen Robinson added: "I came about a year ago to learn how to use my machine and I just carried on because we've got a real community here."
Mr and Mrs Coles say the shop will trade through the summer and into autumn, with classes running until December.
In a statement on the company website, they added: "We have put the business up for sale in the hope that we can find a buyer who will bring continuity to the vibrant community you have helped us to create at Coles Sewing Centre.
"If we are unable to find a buyer, however, we will sadly have to close our doors in December."
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