Closure of Dudley's Arcade Toy Shop 'would be a tragedy'

The Arcade Toy Shop has been a part of the Fountain Arcade centre since 1967.

But owner Alan Caswell, who runs the store with his sister Lynne, has now decided to sell up due to the £200,000 revamp of the centre.

It is being restored to its former glory and heritage architects want to bring its well-known white entrance off Stone Street back to how it would have looked in its 1920s heyday. But the scheme includes reinstalling a long disused doorway that directly entered the toy shop.

And Mr Caswell said the work will cause too much upheaval to the layout of his shop.

Since announcing his decision he has been inundated with messages of support and his loyal customers have also spoken of their sadness.

Mr Caswell said: "Selling up isn't an imminent thing but it will probably happen at some point in the early New Year.

"I am absolutely all for the works going on in Dudley and think they are fantastic, bring them on, Dudley has been sorely let down in recent years and these works can only be a good thing.

"But this door is the final nail in the coffin for me."

There has been an outcry of support for the store online on both Twitter and Facebook with MP for Dudley North Ian Austin tweeting that the 'terrible' news will 'devastate generations of Dudley families'.

Mr Caswell said: "I am loving the support. People are being so kind and I am so appreciative. I put the news up on our Facebook page as soon as the decision was made and people couldn't believe it.

"We had a lot of people say to us that we should start a petition but the decisions have already been made, and I have already made my decision too."

Mr Caswell said he would like to pass the shop onto somebody who would keep it as a toy shop and have him remain as an advisor.

He said: "I would not mind a back seat role - I would like to pass the shop onto somebody with a similar passion for toys as me.

"The business is moving very fast and changing quickly - I want to leave whilst I'm still at the top of my game, and whilst I still understand what the game is about."

Long-standing customer Deb Brownlee paid tribute to the toy shop owner.

"Alan Caswell is a true Dudley legend, running the fantastic Arcade Toy Shop which has been part of the childhood of many, including my own. He is totally community minded and cares passionately about Dudley. He has generously helped our project for many years, and we would like to thank him publically and wish him all the best for a long and happy retirement," she said.

Chairman of Dudley Market Traders Association Len Lenihan said: "It is always disappointing when any shop closes. The work is detracting from trade but hopefully when it is all completed the footfall will return.

"The work will definitely not hurt the town but in the interim it is hurting traders. It doesn't help that we are working with 'buts' and 'maybes' rather than statistics and facts."

MP Ian Austin tweeted about the news and said the closure of the shop would be a tragedy:

Mr Austin said: "Anybody who grew up here in Dudley went to that toy shop. It is one of the last traditional, proper independent toy shops and will be a tragedy if it goes."

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