Dumfries homeless support charity forced to close town centre shop

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A Dumfries homeless support charity has been forced to close its town centre shop. SHAX has now transferred its staff and stock to its busy warehouse at The Crichton after its board of management decided it is no longer viable for the charity to continue running two retail outlets in the town.

The Nith Street shop shut on Saturday after a mostly successful run since September 2021 when it was established as part of a post-Covid recovery plan funded by the Scottish Government’s Adapt and Thrive programme.

After a “positive start and a successful trading period in 2021/2022,” the lease was extended but the charity said the forced temporary closure due to severe flooding last December and into January this year has taken its toll – along with the current impact of the cost-of-living crisis and “ongoing recruitment challenges.” So, SHAX – which started trading in 2012 – will solely operate from their warehouse at The Crichton which is open to the public Monday to Saturday, 9am to 4pm.

Joyce Harkness, social enterprise manager at SHAX, said: “Although we are disappointed to have closed the doors in Dumfries town centre, we are proud of what we have achieved as a result of our shop project and positive about the legacies of the project and our ability to relocate and retain our staff, stock and services. “Our team will continue to be employed by SHAX and customers can continue to visit us at our warehouse at The Crichton where we sell clothing, furniture, white goods and other small household items. “We will also continue to offer free school uniforms.” She said that the shop had served to raise awareness and generate new custom for the warehouse too.