Bristol record shop Idle Hands is to close at its current site at the end of this month, with the aim of finding a new location in the future.
In a social media post, Idle Hands store owner and founder Chris Farrell said he will close the current City Road location when the lease comes to an end at the end of August, but hopes to find a new, more central site in Bristol sometime in the future. The shop will remain closed "until something comes up," he said.
With the store closing for now, Farrell hopes that a Crowdfunder campaign will help raise funds to deal with the overheads, as well as a move to a new location. Without financial support, he said, the shop may have to close indefinitely.
In his social media post, Farrell explained that the shop has struggled since last Christmas, "with less people popping in and Brexit making EU trade pretty much unworkable for a business this small."
He continued: "These are tricky times, but I do believe Idle Hands still has a future. When I decided not to renew our lease I had hoped to make a smooth transition to a new location – although there have been options I’ve been pursuing, the retail rental market is also in a bit of a state and that hasn’t been possible."
Farrell plans to continue to operate Idle Hands via its website and Discogs page. The shop will also be selling its "bargain bin stock at stupidly low prices" for the rest of the month, he said.
