No! Pearspring is closing 😭

[Sue]

From Facebook:

Pearspring is Closing

We are incredibly sad to announce that after 5 busy years helping our amazing customers with all things houseplant, we've made the very difficult decision that now is the right time to bring the final curtain down on Pearspring. 

The reasons for closing are numerous. It goes without saying that trading conditions since 2020 have been incredibly difficult. Brexit has impacted heavily on the operational side of the business - we now have to ‘import’ many of our plants and pots from the EU, pushing up prices and introducing checks and increased charges associated with being an importer; rising product prices have resulted in ever smaller margins as we try to keep our prices at levels we personally would be happy to pay - not to mention all of the considerable increases in our business costs just to keep the doors open each day. All of which (and a few other factors) have unfortunately made the business a much less enjoyable and much more stressful proposition, particularly since the start of 2022. 

Ultimately though, after 5 years solely focusing on working in and running the business, we feel now is the time to prioritise personal health, happiness and work life balance over the often all consuming aspects of running a small business. We hope you can understand - but sometimes you have to put yourself first, have a rest and refocus one's priorities in life. 

We can’t tell you how much we have loved being part of thriving Lordship Lane, and we will look back with immense pride on the business that we have built since 2017. We want to thank our wonderful team (past and present), who have really helped bring the ethos of Pearspring to life on a day-to-day basis. 

Finally none of it would have been possible without our incredible customers, and we sincerely thank you from the bottom of our hearts. It goes without saying that we will miss you, and we hope to see you one last time before the end of September. 

⏳️ We will be trading until 4pm on Sunday 25th September 2022 ⌛️

⚠️ Anyone with gift cards - if you can please aim to use these by 25.09.2022 ⚠️

[HeadNun]

This is so sad. It's a fantastic shop and they not only had reasonably priced plants and pots, but they sold their soil at cost price. They've always had wonderfully helpful staff and have personally helped me revive some of my dying plants by re-potting them free of charge. They have a great ethos and it's a real shame that businesses like that can't thrive in the current climate.

[NewWave]

Brexit has greatly affected many small businesses.

As well as larger ones.

The sheer paperwork involved in importing goods to the UK is a headache and time-consuming .

Even large stores are being adversely impacted by the paperwork involved these days.

Where I work we used to be able to transfer stock from France and Italy in 5 days but now it takes around 6 weeks.

I think we will see more and more small independent shops just give up because its not worth the hassle.

Sad times.