Wolverhampton shop owner worried for future after trading for over 20 years
"I don't want to give this in – my mother was in the wool trade when I was born and this is my passion every day and I just don't want to lose it."
Those are the words of Wolverhampton shop owner Tracey Spilsbury who revealed her business is struggling due to the rise of online shopping.
She runs Wulfrun Wools & Crafts, in Penn, and had been in the city centre on Cleveland Street for 21 years before moving in November last year.
Now, despite wanting to keep that "personal touch", she has set her sights on selling items online after seeing a drop in her number of customers.
Mrs Spilsbury said: "I was in Wolverhampton city centre for 21 years and I moved out because I was getting broken into. I moved to Springhill Lane, in Penn, and we had Covid to deal with.
"More people have moved to shopping online and it's something I really didn't really want to look into because I wanted to keep that personal touch.
"But now it's something I'm looking at. I'm still doing crochet and knitting classes, I want to keep that passion alive, but I'm struggling – I'm struggling to get people in. I know it's not just me who's struggling, it's tough times.
"But the worst thing is that hobbies is one of those things we tend to put aside, which shouldn't be the case. It's one of the most important things we should be doing, especially with the impact it has on mental health."
The 48-year-old, from Finchfield, said she doesn't want to give in "without a fight" and said independent shops were going due to online shopping, and that some elderly people had become increasingly wary of going back outside due to Covid-19.
"It's the saying 'use us or lose us' really," she said. "It's very difficult and I appreciate I'm a craft business, and you think about paying your bills and putting food on the table first. It's very worrying times, and I've taken a hit on a lot of things but I wanted to do it for my passion.
"I want the younger generation to get more involved too, because the skills are disappearing. Young people don't know how to knit or crochet and generally mend stuff – it's all done on iPads and stuff, but a computer will not mend your socks or knit you that blanket in winter we probably will be needing as we can't afford to put the heating on."
Mrs Spilsbury, who wants to get more involved with schools and teaching them the vital skills, said she doesn't want to close and has someone looking into getting her a website, which will cost money and is not something she wants to do, adding: "I want that communication, to be able to physically talk to someone, to give that personal touch and keep that passion alive.
"I don't want to give this in – my mother was in the wool trade when I was born and this is my passion every day and I just don't want to lose it."
Tanya, a customer at the shop, was full of praise for the store and said she enjoyed having a "laugh and a natter" at one of the many classes run there, and said it was a shame the business was facing difficulty after trading for over 20 years.
A crochet session where people can craft 'worry worms', which aims to help people who are going through difficult times, will take place at The Dudley Arms in Himley on September 13 between 6pm and 8pm.
The shop itself is open from 10am to 5pm throughout the week, except for Thursday and Sunday. Knitting classes are run at the shop on Monday, Wednesday and Friday between 1.30pm and 3pm, and crochet classes are run on Wednesday evening between 6pm to 8pm, with each class costing £5.
