'Last hoorah' planned for Nottingham lace heritage centre
Nottingham Lace Centre, in Castle Road, is due to shut its doors for good on Tuesday after 29 years in business.
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
Nottingham Lace Centre
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