Business believes in Barney.
There’s more good news for the town, with a new shop opening its doors and a new owner for a much-loved institution.
That comes after Maxwell’s DIY confirmed last week that the popular hardware store was no longer up for sale and would continue to trade as normal.
On Horse Market, vintage art and furniture salon Ruby & D opened on October 11, bringing a familiar name back to town.
Meanwhile, at Star Cobblers, Jamie Siddle is following in the footsteps of long-term proprietor Adrian Andrews.
Mr Andrews is selling up after more than 20 years, but he isn’t rushing into retirement just yet.
“It’s going to be a few months with the training going on,” he said. “We need to support Jamie while he gets settled.
“Jamie has come along with the enthusiasm to take the ball and run with it and hopefully he can continue this business for another 20 or 30 years.”
The new owner acknowledged that he has some big shoes to fill, but he’s determined to keep the much-loved shop going.
“We can’t let this business disappear from the high street,” he said. “It’s integral, I’ve used the cobblers for a long time myself and crafts like this are still really needed.”
Mr Siddle is well-known locally for his work with the local mountain rescue team but admitted that cobbling is something new for him. However, he’s confident that his DIY skills, plus some bespoke training, will keep the business marching forwards.
For Helen Gray at Ruby & D, Saturday’s grand opening was a return to Barney. Previously she had a shop on The Bank in the current Artisan Corner site before moving the business online.
“I’ve had three years away from the high street, but there was always that desire to come back,” she said. “I missed the buying, the putting it all together, getting to know the people coming into the shop.”
Now she’s on Horse Market, taking over the Olde Barnard Castle Curiosity Shop premises, and immediately noticed a change from her previous store.
“Just changing location from one end of town to the other, you can see how much busier it is on the main street,” she said. “We opened on Saturday and it was a really good day, I think everyone did well.”
And Ms Gray is optimistic for the future of Barnard Castle’s town centre. “It used to be that we had a lot more independent places than other towns and I think that’s coming back,” she said. “Some other places have been let so hopefully there will be a few more coming.
“You can spend a day here and have enough to look at, and it’s not the same as you find everywhere else. We have a good diverse range of shops selling different things.”
