'I don't want to leave' - Dudley trader prepares to close her beloved craft shop amid falling footfall

Abi Wakelam has said she is closing Castle Crafts, in Fountain Arcade in Dudley town centre, before the end of the year, blaming the loss of free parking in the town for reduced footfall, along with delayed Metro works and ongoing disruption caused by work to revamp the town’s bus station.

She told the Express & Star she has loved building up a community around her shop, which sells wool, buttons, ribbons, patterns as well as hosting knitting and crochet sessions.

But she simply cannot carry on, with footfall having fallen against a backdrop of closures of popular chain stores in the town, the loss of free parking and increased online competition.

Dudley-born Abi, aged 38, said: "I don't want to leave. I love the people, I love the customers, I love the business but I also am very aware of mental health and it shouldn't start taking over where I can't sleep on a night because I’m worrying. It’s one of those decisions I’ve had to make but I never in a million years thought I wouldn’t make it a year."

It’s her second stint at running a business in the town. She first took over a shop when she was 22 in the arcade before moving to Stone Street and she eventually called it quits when a giant fairground wheel was sited right outside the premises, reducing parking.

She thought she’d try again in Dudley with promise of the Metro on the way and the bus station refurbishment and assumed the developments would help to revive the town’s fortunes. But she said she now fears by the time the transport links are complete and services are up and running, people will simply have decided to shop elsewhere.

She said she worries Dudley will be left with just "a tramline that goes into a town that’s lost everything", adding: "They’ve created something to better the town but it’s taken so long that we’re all wondering if it’s actually going to take people into the towns they’ve been going to instead."

The loss of the two hours of free parking on council car parks has put customers off visiting, she said, as they’ve struggled to find suitable places to park. 

Recent events that have brought road closures to the town, including the Pride festival, have not helped her either as customers on their way to a knitting class were unable to drive into the town and find parking so they cancelled their attendance at sessions she’d laid on to try to boost her offering and make a bit of much--needed extra cash.

She said things have got so tough she’s even taken a second job, cleaning the arcade after she closes her shop each night, to try to keep up with the rent on the premises - but it's taking its toll and she has decided it's time to call it a day.

Abi said on Facebook that she's "so grateful for every bit of positive that's come out of the shop - the love and the joy" and said she will remain open until December 23.

Former Dudley MP Marco Longhi said he was "truly sorry" to hear the news the shop is to close, adding: "I am furious with the council - taking away the two-hour free parking was the final nail in the coffin for a town centre already on life support."

Councillor Patrick Harley, leader of Dudley Council, said he understands the "grievances from traders" as Dudley undergoes major works to bring the Metro to town and to replace the old bus station with a new state-of-the-art facility but he believes things will be different next year,

He also said he realises how valued the two hours of free parking was by traders and shoppers but the authority has had to make tough decisions to avoid going bankrupt amid tough financial times.

He said: "We had to do everything we could to avoid a [Section] 114 [notice] - we’ve done that and recovered better and quicker than we could have envisaged. Our finances have improved and stabilised far quicker and better than even I envisaged and a result of that this month we’ve reduced the car parking tariffs - we've introduced a charge of 50p for half an hour, we’ve reduced the hour to £1 and £2 for two hours which is a significant reduction. If the finances continue to improve we’ll look at the fees and charges again this time next year - it’s quite possible it will be 50p for an hour and £1 for two hours."

He said other local authorities, such as Wolverhampton, have hiked up car parking charges, adding: "We’re doing the opposite, we're actually bringing them down. I think we deserve some credit for that. We did what we had to do through difficult financial times but now we seem to have a grip on those - thanks to changes in adult social care."

Councillor Harley said the arrival of the tram and completion of the bus station works, both expected next year, will provide a "massive boost" to the town and he added: "By this time next year it will be a completely different situation, and I think the town will be back on its feet. 

"I understand the grievances from traders. Just this week we’ve had the landlord of the Churchill Precinct, LCP, praising the decision we’ve taken to reduce the car parking fees - it’s a step in the right direction. I know it’s not the two hours free that everybody would want back but we're having to do this step by step."