'Last hoorah' planned for Nottingham lace heritage centre
BOSSES of a shop and heritage centre dedicated to Nottingham's historic lace industry want "one last hoorah" before it closes.
Nottingham Lace Centre, in Castle Road, is due to shut its doors for good on Tuesday after 29 years in business.
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Nottingham Lace Centre
Directors announced in February that the centre was to be wound up because of a lack of demand for lace and falling visitor numbers. But Richard Granger, the chairman of the centre's board of directors, said bumper trade over the Easter weekend would give the store a fitting send-off.
"We have had 29 good years, which has been a jolly good run," he said.
"I'm hoping we'll have a surge in business over Easter for one last hoorah.
"When we close, a bit of Nottingham's history will vanish, which is a pity."
Mr Granger said that sales at the shop had seen a boost in recent weeks after the closure announcement.
Nevertheless, he said: "There has been no change in the masterplan. We are running the stock down and shelves are becoming bare.
"Trade has picked up, but we made this decision in good faith and still think that it is the right one.
"There just isn't the supply base. Also, people now prefer to spend their money on flatscreen TVs and I-Pods instead of on lace."
The board of directors is to meet for one final time following the closure.
Mr Granger, 67, is the former owner of the R Granger and Son lace factory in Long Eaton, which closed in 2001 after 113 years in business. The Lace Centre has been open since 1980.
When the closure was announced, centre manager Linda Hopkin said: "Nottingham lace at the moment is not terribly fashionable and it's now a lot harder to source lace as a lot of the factories have closed."
A market stall in the Victoria Centre called the Nottingham Lace Centre, not connected to the visitor attraction, will continue to operate.
bryan.henesey@nottinghameveningpost.co.uk
3 Comments
by Dave, notts
Thursday, April 16 2009, 11:22AM
“Nottingham Lace Centre, in Castle Road, is due to shut its doors for good on Tuesday after 29 years in business.
After 29 years of being in a time warp more like.
It was a dimly lit, poorly laid out shambles which had the same product range from day 1 right through. If you don't evolve you die.”
by Rob, Carlton
Thursday, April 09 2009, 8:52AM
“David you are absolutely right. Nottingham has one of the most well known legends in the world, it has a fantastic heritage and we attract school trips and other visitors. So what do the authorities do? Allow the city to become even more unattractive.
The authorities should look at Newcastle, a city that had the heart ripped out of it as industry declined but it has successfully re-invented itself as a tourist and entertainment destination.
Sadly the poltroons who run our city don't seem to be able to look beyond political sniping or short term gains.
The authorities who run Derby and Leicester must be laughing their socks off.”
by David Carlton, Nottingham
Thursday, April 09 2009, 8:42AM
“So I have got this right? We have lost the costume museum, the canal museum, the industrial museum, the lace museum, Robin Hood and now the Lace Centre. I think that there might be some lack of enterprise and co-ordination with regard to looking after and capitalising on our history and heritage and the fault appears to rest with both the public and private sectors. This city has a marketing gift given to it by its history and legends and appears to be squandering this.”