Paws and More forced to close due to lack of support

Paws and More, in Castle Street, will close for the last time on Saturday, September 21.

Owners Jacqui Honour, from Amesbury, and Barbara Emery, from Verwood, signed a six-month lease to "test the waters" but the shop has not received enough support to continue trading viably.

All profit from the shop is donated to dog rescue charities and the pair volunteer but Jacqui said it isn't worth keeping the shop if it's just covering the cost of rent.

Read more: ​'Paws and More' dog rescue shop opens on Castle Street

Once the riverside walk behind the shop reopened, Paws and More saw an immediate downturn in footfall.

This, combined with a general lack of people wanted to stray from the city centre while shopping, resulted in Jacqui making the decision to close.

Jacqui Honour and Barbara Emery set up Paws and More in May. (Image: Newsquest)

Jacqui, who owns seven rescue dogs, set the shop up using money from her own pocket and opened it in May.

While she would have preferred to have a shopfront in the city centre, most landlords ask for a minimum of a five-year term and rent costs upwards of £20k annually.

Jacqui said: "We have enjoyed being here. We've met some really lovely people and dogs, both rescue and non-rescue.

"We had a very good response but it's unfortunately not been enough to keep us going.

"There's no point me standing here five days a week just to cover the rent."

Describing the closure as "a shame", Jacqui added: "We put a lot of work into this."

Paws and More sells a range of new and pre-loved items. (Image: Newsquest)

The closure has been met with sadness from regulars but Jacqui will continue to run the business online, selling pre-loved clothing on her Facebook page and donating the profit to dog rescue charities.

Items can be collected from Jacqui's home in Amesbury but she also offers local delivery and national postage. 

She hasn't ruled out the possibility of opening another shop in the future if an opportunity arises.

"Who's to say I won't try it again," she said.

"Unfortunately for us it's not the right time and we're not in the right location.

"It's a sad thing but we're grateful for the landlord for giving us the opportunity of a short lease."