A toy shop owner has been left in tears after not taking a penny from her business for 20 days, insisting people should try to “buy local”.
Maggie Tibbenham said the last few months had been the toughest in her six-year career as manager of the Imagine Toy Shop in Holmfirth.
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In the past twelve months alone, Maggie has endured twenty separate weekdays where she didn't make a dime from her 'True Aladdin's Cave'.
Her mental health plummeted because she worked long hours for 25 days straight, running her store and attending events where she tried to sell her products.
Maggie recently took to social media to make a heartfelt appeal to the public, urging people to reconsider making online purchases and “buy local or call it a day”.
She was moved to tears when her customers responded to her calls for help offering flowers and chocolates and even to run her shop for free so she could take a break.
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The company owner told Yorkshire Live: “I cried. I cried my eyes out.
“I had customers who brought me flowers cheer I up. A customer said that if I was struggling mentally, he would come and run the store for free.
“I cried – it was embarrassing. This shouldn't happen.”
Maggie said she was a strong person who loved her clients and her work, but her mental health started to collapse.
Despite her shop being in the center of Holmfirth, Maggie did not see as much traffic to her shop as she needed to survive.
She said she feared the city had too many independent shops, bars and cafes, which could put off shoppers looking for gifts and other unique items, some of which Maggie sells.
There was still, she said, a group of people who would do anything for the city and try to make it a welcoming place for people to visit.
While Maggie is going through a period in her career that has been the “worst ever” in terms of earnings, her partner Mike Whaley, who co-owns art gallery gift shop Multicraft Cabin, is also seeing a dip in business.
Mike said Easter and Christmas were the “worst ever” he has experienced in the 15 years since his Victoria Street store opened.
He echoed Maggie's sentiments that there are too many bars and cafes charity shops – that can be the driving customers away.
Adding fuel to the fire was the fact that some city center businesses had chosen not to open on Mondays and Tuesdays, making Holmfirth less attractive as a potential destination for coach trips and returning visitors.
Mike also urged customers to shop local and urged other retailers not to close on weekdays.