Eco-shop shuts after five years due to ‘tricky’ time

AN eco-shop in Henley has closed.

FourState left its two neighbouring units in Duke Street last week when its five-year lease ended.

The Henley Larder, which has shared one of the units since January, will stay on until the end of the summer. Both businesses will continue trading online.

Gringo Loco, a pop-up Mexican restaurant on the first floor, has also left.

Patrick Brown, who opened FourState in 2020 with old school friend Rob Kemp, said that the last 18 months of trading had been “tricky” due to the cost of living crisis.

The shop sold zero waste and environmentally friendly home and beauty products.

Mr Brown said: “It was the end of our five-year lease and we decided to have a bit of a change and a shake-up of the business and put together some ideas for the future.

“We had a great time in Henley but it has been a bit tricky this year and last compared with previous years.

“The cost of living crisis has meant people have less money to spend and it has been harder to manage than the covid period.

“We felt the need to have a rest and sort ourselves out.”

In February last year, FourState took over the neighbouring unit, which formerly housed the Drifters coffee shop, which closed in August 2022, in order to run a café.

Mr Brown said this was a calculated risk. He said: “The second unit was always going to be a bit more of a challenge because we are retail, not hospitality, and perhaps, looking back, we might have decided to stay in our lane.

“But it could have been that we would be hindered more by having a derelict shop next to us or having someone move in that wasn’t aligned to what we offer.

“Having Gringo Loco and the Henley Larder join us worked really well and, perhaps, if we had done that sooner, we would have become much stronger.

“The model certainly did work and what it did show is that there is scope for businesses to work well together and we have not ruled out coming back to Henley in the future.”

Zoe Ferreira, who moved the Henley Larder from Bell Street, where she opened in October 2020, said: “Thank you to Patrick for letting the Henley Larder come and share your space and being part of the heart of the Henley high street with you.

“It means that we are going to be taking on the whole space for the summer and I am very excited about that. We are going to have a seating area and this really amazing offer over regatta. We will arrange it in a different way.

“At the end of this summer, the Henley Larder is going to change and that means we will be closing the actual shop.

“It doesn’t mean that I don’t think there is a place for the Henley Larder on this high street, nor does it mean that I do not believe strongly in independent shops on Henley high street because I do and all high streets for that matter.”

Mrs Ferreira, who lives in Albert Road with her husband Andre, said she wanted a better quality of life.

She said: “It’s a personal choice. I needed a change. I need to get a work-life balance right and I also want to do what is right for the business.

“I believe that I can create a beautiful platform for you guys to come online and get wonderful gifts of all of our local produce and also see you at various pop-ups and fairs and fetes.

“This is not a sad thing, it is a good thing and I am excited to take you along on the journey with me and hope you will be there.”

Gary Wise hopes Gringo Loco will be able to re-open at another unit. “I would love us to come back in the future,” he said.

“Those type of premises that are suitable for restaurants don’t come up very often, but we will be back. We have had a lot of really good messages and support from the town and we are really appreciative of that.

“People liked the informal nature of it, where they could drop in and drop out. People really appreciated what we were trying to do.”

Mr Wise, who has spent his career in hospitality, added: “Now I’m spending a little time to regroup before going again.”

Paul Carey, the town centre manager, said: “It is always a shame when any business decides to close or, in this case, not to have a physical shop but this is a very well-placed unit and there will be a number of new businesses and people interested in it.

“We also have to thank these independent retailers for putting themselves out there and really trying to make a go of it on the high street.”

Mr Carey said the vacancy rate for shops in Henley was about six per cent, compared with a national average of about 12 per cent and the south-east average of about 16 per cent.

He added: “We have lots of interest whenever there is a vacant unit, including the recently closed David Rodger-Sharp jewellers.

“Competition is fierce in Henley and that’s because of its vibrancy and a community that looks to support business.”