The owner of a Mansfield jewellers which has been in the town for 228 years arrived at work with “trepidation” on the first day of the store’s closing down sale. Dozens of people were queuing outside Martin Wilkinson on Saturday (December 3) to get their hands on some half-price items.
Everything in the Queen Street store has been reduced by 50% for the sale, which will last until stock runs out. But despite the bargains on offer, many of those waiting outside the shop ahead of the 10am opening were doing so with mixed emotions.
Deborah Barraclough, 59, from Shirebrook, was hoping to get her hands on a wedding ring as her and her partner of 29 years prepare to marry in Saint Lucia on January 6. She said: “It’s not good for anybody that it’s closing really and I have been here several times over the years.
“I haven’t quite managed to be at the front of the queue but I’m not too far behind so I should hopefully be able to get a nice wedding ring. I’m actually a bit surprised by how big the queue is this morning, but it is a very well-loved place.”
One of those who did manage to make it towards the front of the queue was Angela Johnson, 64, from Sutton in Ashfield. She said: “I was very sad to hear about the closure because I have been coming here for about the last 20 years.
“I’ve bought various things both for myself and for family from here over that time. A lot of people probably don’t have the budget to come here and they might go to Pandora or Warren James instead, but I’ve always come here.
“I actually thought that the shop opened at 9am today so I got here perhaps a bit too early, but it has meant that I’ve managed to get to the front of the queue. It is quite a big queue that has formed so I think it is obviously going to be sad for the town when it finally closes.”
Read the full article via Nottingham Post.
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