'No one who wants to continue the tradition has got £150k for this shop'

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

It's the end of an era for a shop that has been at the heart of a Greater Manchester high street for over three decades. T&M Rickard & Sons Shoe Repairs has been a fixture of Hallgate in Wigan since 1994.

Rickard's are also one of the last remaining makers of wooden clogs - once a staple for workers in the industrial era. The shop's owner, Michael Rickard, says he's never had to advertise but has built his indispensable business solely through "word-of-mouth".

In contrast to the 'fast fashion' ethos modern retail giants are often criticised for encouraging, Rickard's seems like a shop out of time.

The antithesis of a throw-away culture, Michael's particular set of skills are valued by many customers to prolong the life of their eye-wateringly expensive purchases. READ MORE: The 'hidden village' on top of Manchester's Arndale Centre many never knew existed READ MORE: The lost theme park near Alton Towers that some say was even better "If you bought a pair of shoes and they were £400, would you have them repaired for £40?" Michael says, in a way that knows the only correct sensible response would be 'yes'.