With the rise of internet shopping and fierce competition in city centers, store closures are inevitable.

However, that doesn’t make it any easier when our favourite shops are forced to close down.


Here are some East Lancashire shops you wish could come back from the dead.

Woolworths

Lancashire Telegraph:

After closing, this former Woolworths building became a TJ Hughes (Photo: Geograph/ Alexander P Kapp)

Woolies in Bolton dates back as far as the 1930s, when nothing cost more than 6d to purchase.

The Woolworths was on Church Street-Ainsworth Street well into the 70s before moving out of Blackburn in the 80s- the shop later returned to Blackburn in 1998.

The company went into administration in the 2000s and the Blackburn branch closed its doors in 2009.

Once Woolworths moved out, TJ Hughes took its place for a short time.

Holt’s Jewellers

Many Blackburn residents have fond memories of looking at beautiful Jewellery in Holt’s.

The family-run business had been trading in Blackburn for over 80 years before closing in 2003.

The owners said the combination of drop in trade and high rent forced them to close their doors.

Tommy Ball's

This shoe shop went into administration in 2008- just two months after the store’s founder passed away.

Owner, Tommy Ball, really made his mark in the footwear business, by selling shoes in Lancashire at bargain prices.
 

He said he started his business with just £5 and a selection of second-hand clothes to sell at Blackburn market in the 1950s.

Gray’s menwear

This store was known as ‘Gray’s Corner’ and it closed in 2011.

Owners, George and Will Gray started the business in the 1920s by setting up an open market.

Within a year they had built up their business and bought a shop on the corner of Old Chapel Street.

Zodiac

This Northgate shop closed in 2011 after the Blackburn Mall extension made it harder for them to compete with big retailers.

The tattoo parlour was a unique place that also sold jewellery, gifts and tarot readings