Beloved Worthing business permanently closes - 'The time has come'

Peter May & Grandson Shoe Repairs & Key Cutting – which was based in Cotswold Road – served customers for the final time on Friday (November 10).

"The time has come to let you all know… we are closing our shop,” the shop’s owners Michael and Ang Hard announced on Facebook.

"It’s been an absolute blast working here and serving our many customers over the years, but we have an opportunity to do something else now, and after many discussions, we’ve decided to grab the opportunity with both hands and run with it!

"We’d like to take this opportunity to thank you all from the bottom of our hearts for supporting our business over the years. It’s going to be very strange not seeing our regulars and coming to work here each day.”

Speaking to the Worthing Herald, Ang said it was the ‘right time’ to move onto ventures new.

She added: “We’ve got the opportunity to do something else. We thought we’d change it up and try a different thing in life.

“My husband has been here a long time – he’s owned it since 2009. The customers have been fantastic. We’ve got some very loyal customers who are very upset we are shutting it down.

“We’ve had loads of messages online and they’ve all been really kind.

“I am going to carry on partly what I was doing here, just fixing horse riding boots and motorcycle leathers.

"He [Michael] has taken up another job elsewhere at a double glazing firm, so he’s completely changed what he’s doing.”

Michael and Ang made sure all outstanding work was completed, and continued cutting keys, before shutting for good on Friday evening.

Ang said she is pointing the shop’s customers to another local repair shop – Footstep Shoe Repairs – in Wallace Parade, Worthing, adding: “They do a brilliant job.

“Everyone has to shop local and support local businesses.

“We would just like to say a huge thank you to everyone for supporting us for so long. Small businesses right now are struggling. Fortunately, we haven’t as we’ve been really lucky.”