AN ICONIC clothing store has closed for good leaving the owner and her loyal customers devastated.
The beloved boutique has faced rising costs lately and didn’t receive any help from the council once it started struggling.
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Paula’s Boutique in Merthyr town centre, Wales, has sold its last garment after six years in service, much to the dismay of gutted shoppers.
Owner Paula Owen had a big sale to get rid of the rest of the stock after announcing the shock closure.
Despite her thinking it would last two weeks, all the items sold out nearly immediately prompting an emotional Facebook video of the proud owner thanking her customers.
In the 3.41-minute long video clip, she said: “The shop is in bits, we’re waiting for people to pick stands and things up.
“We’ve had a massive sale I thought it was last two weeks but it has already sold out.
“We’re shutting the doors indefinitely – there’s nothing left to buy, girls.
“Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your fabulous messages.”
St Tydfil’s shopping centre, where the shop was based, went without a lift and elevator for years and Paula was worried it was impacting the boutique’s trade.
With rent increasing alongside other bills, the store was also facing higher running costs.
Paula flagged her concerns to Merthyr Council but nothing was done.
“It’s just been so hard,” she told WalesOnline, “after all we’ve put into the town.”
“I know things are hard for everyone. I know councils are struggling. But they are spending money on the wrong things.”
The boutique sold a range of women’s clothing, jewellery and accessories.
Shoppers flocked to the store to pick up knits, golden necklaces and two-piece set – but they’ll now have to look elsewhere for their fashion fix.
Paula’s legendary boutique survived the struggle of lockdown and even won the Oceanic Awards for Fashion & Accessories Retailer of the Year, but was unable to sustain rising rent.
Talking about closing the business, she added: “It is heart-wrenching. To think we have built it up.
“It has been an absolutely fabulous business. Through lockdown we kept everybody going.”
After the popular store announced its closure, tributes started to pour in from gutted shoppers and staff said they’d received 30 bouquets in the last few days.
Customers and pals of Paula took to social media to express their disappointment and offer their sympathy for the shop owner.
One disheartened customer said: “Aw Paula this is so sad you can tell how much this has affected you – genuinely the nicest shop with the best welcome in town.
“It’s been a pleasure watching you in the mornings and coming up for a spend with you, look after yourself, lovely lady.”
Another responded: “So sad. Its hard to believe.
“If you can’t survive with a lovely business like that in this town, I don’t know who can.
“You had lovely clothes, regular customers, good location, centre of town.”
A third aggreived shopper shared: “Everytime I open my wardrobe I’m going to think of you.
“Everytime I need something new to wear I’m going to curse Merthyr Council!!
One responded: “So sad for you Paula, the shop was you, and you threw everything into it, your heart and soul every day.”
The Sun has reached out to Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council for a comment.
RETAIL PAIN IN 2025
The British Retail Consortium has predicted that the Treasury’s hike to employer NICs will cost the retail sector £2.3billion.
Research by the British Chambers of Commerce shows that more than half of companies plan to raise prices by early April.
A survey of more than 4,800 firms found that 55% expect prices to increase in the next three months, up from 39% in a similar poll conducted in the latter half of 2024.
Three-quarters of companies cited the cost of employing people as their primary financial pressure.
The Centre for Retail Research (CRR) has also warned that around 17,350 retail sites are expected to shut down this year.
It comes on the back of a tough 2024 when 13,000 shops closed their doors for good, already a 28% increase on the previous year.
Professor Joshua Bamfield, director of the CRR said: “The results for 2024 show that although the outcomes for store closures overall were not as poor as in either 2020 or 2022, they are still disconcerting, with worse set to come in 2025.”
Professor Bamfield has also warned of a bleak outlook for 2025, predicting that as many as 202,000 jobs could be lost in the sector.
“By increasing both the costs of running stores and the costs on each consumer’s household it is highly likely that we will see retail job losses eclipse the height of the pandemic in 2020.”The beloved budget supermarket will be scrapping 52 cafes and 17 stores in a cost-cutting shake-up.
