It’s the start of a new chapter on Horse Market as the Old Barnard Castle Curiosity Shop has closed its doors.
The popular gift shop started life on The Bank in partnership with David Harper’s antique shop in 2021 before moving into the town centre a year later.
For business owners Tim and Angela Baitson, opening a shop was something of a leap of faith – but they’ve greatly enjoyed the experience.
“It started out with help from David Harper,” said Mr Baitson. “We agreed that we would help sell his antiques and at the same time we could branch out into a related line of gifts.”
That went so well that the couple were looking to expand.
“After about a year we had the opportunity to move into the town centre,” Mr Baitson recalled.
“We knew that would mean an increase in costs, but we took the plunge, and it was an instant hit. We found that covering those overheads wasn’t as hard as we feared it might be.”
However, the long-term effects of the pandemic have changed the nature of retail – making it harder for the couple to juggle running the shop with full-time work.
“We’ve seen the footfall changing, the demographic changing,” Mr Baitson added. “There’s a gradual decline and it’s not sustainable in the longer term.
“But this isn’t a sad story for us. We’ve had a great time doing it, and Barnard Castle is a wonderful place to run a business. It’s just the right time to start another chapter.
“Angela was saying how people were coming into the shop and telling her it’s a shame that we’re closing. But at the same time, we’re having a bit of a rest. We’re getting our evenings and weekends back at last!”
Meanwhile, the building won’t be vacant for long. A new tenant is already in place and ready to showcase her business as early as next month.
The Baitsons will still be around town, with Tim tapping into his business contacts as sales manager of the Teesdale Mercury and Angela working at McGarry & Co Solicitors.
