Ealing’s only wool shop is facing closure as the 124-year-old family-run department store where it rents space prepares to shut in early June.
Lily Rose Wool and Haberdashery is located inside the Daniel department store, paying rent estimated to be nearly three times lower than market rates.
Owner Meena worked at the department store for ten years and changed paths to run her own shop six years ago, and is determined to keep the wool shop going despite not yet finding a new location near Ealing.
She said: “I worked a lot on it, everything is starting to get on track, and now I need to go.
“All my customers are worried that I might shut, but I have told them ‘No, I will keep going’.
“I don’t want to just shut like this.”
The shop is her dream, and she sees it as a place to share creativity and for customers to discover locally manufactured wools rather than just a business.
Meena particularly enjoys seeing customers’ excitement.
She said: “Customers go like ‘Whoa, it’s like a candy shop’ when they come in.”
Meena believes that even though most wool shops have moved online nowadays, the ability to check wool colours and textures in person remains essential.
The store offers a wide variety of locally-branded wools, and she described it as all-in-one experience, with yarns, accessories, and knitting supplies conveniently gathered for customers to shop.
Daniel of Ealing, a family-run business spanning five generations, cited rising operational costs and challenging trading conditions as the main reasons for its closure, which is set for 8 June.
Five staff will be impacted by the closure, most of whom have been with the business for over 20 years.
One of the store managers, Nawfel, who has been working in the Ealing branch for seven years, said the closure came as no surprise.
Nawfel said: “Customer numbers have gone down.
“Along with rising costs, it is hard to keep going under that pressure.”
He believes what made Daniel unique was its flexibility and focus on relationships, not rigid procedures.
He said: ““a” lot of our customers were shocked, and they went like ‘No! Don’t close, why are you closing?’.
“It is hard for them to understand.”
The closure of the Ealing store also marks the end of Nawfel’s time working there, as the Windsor branch of Daniel is too far for him to commute.
The department store first opened in 1901 at 96 Uxbridge Road in West Ealing, but downsized over 20 years ago and moved to its current address of 132-138 Uxbridge Road.
A final clearance sale is now being offered by the department store, with discounts across the shop.
The Windsor store remains open and customers can continue to shop online.
Daniel managing director Tony Durkin said: “We are still going after 120 years and our Daniel of Windsor store stands strong, continuing the proud legacy of the Daniel name.”
Feature image credit: Hoi Kwan Nathalie Chi
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