The Harrogate Tea Rooms in Westminster Arcade has closed with immediate effect.

Owners Carrie and Tony Wilkinson, who have run the business for 13 years, announced the news “with heavy hearts” on social media last night.

They said the day-to-day running costs were not translating into profit.

Their post said:

“We are as sad and shocked as some of you will be.

“Our tenancy with the new landlord was up for renewal, but with increased rent, energy and food costs, lower than ever footfall, our out-of-the-way location and possibly the ever increasing amount of new coffee shops near us, it has forced our decision to unfortunately not be able to move forward with the business.

“It is truly a challenging time for many small businesses.

“We have a massively supportive team of thousands of followers but it is the day to day running costs and effort that is just not translating into profit.

“Obviously that is not sustainable, so we have had to take the decision to walk away.”

They added they tried to sell the business “but there is currently no market for the many local tea rooms/cafes up for sale”.

The post thanked customers and added they will continue to make scones for delivery.

The Harrogate Tea Rooms was featured in The Harrogate Crime Series by Malcolm Hollingdrake.

Mr and Ms Wilkinson said DCI Cyril Bennett, one of the main characters, will live “in our hearts and memories”, and ‘will forever be drinking tea from a China cup”.

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The Little Way Cafe is to reopen in Knaresborough this week.

The family-run cafe and bakery announced on August 10 it was closing its site on Camwal Road in Starbeck after 11 months.

It is due to reopen in the unit formerly occupied by Moat Buttery cafe in Knaresborough on Friday.

In a Facebook post, the cafe said it was a “very difficult decision” to cease trading in Starbeck but “it was the only choice we could make in order to provide the best service and environment we could for our customers”.

Owner Yasmine Alsamarai told the Stray Ferret the move was necessary because the new site had more space.

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Ms Alsamarai said she was eager to stay as local to her original cafe as possible and the new “prime” Knaresborough location in Castle Yard came as a welcome opportunity.

She added she was sad to leave the “good community in Starbeck” but was looking forward to the Knaresborough move.

Originally from Leeds, Ms Alsamarai said she had a “love for hospitality” and opening a cafe had always been her dream. The homemade bakes are made by her sister, Saleimah Wright.

Ms Wright said:

“We’re so excited for the opening of the Knaresborough cafe and look forward to sharing what we do with the community!”

Ms Alsamarai emphasised the importance of community and love at Little Way Cafe.

She explained the meaning of the cafe’s name:

“Do small things with great love.”

The owner of retro coffee shop Number Thirteen has announced the closure of its Silver Street premises in Knaresborough.

The coffee shop originally opened on Castlegate in the town in 2018.

It expanded into a second location above Donkey’s Years Antiques on Silver Street about six months ago.

But owner Sarah Ward has announced this second location will close for good at the end of September.

In a Facebook post, Ms Wood said it was “the hardest thing I have ever had to do”.

She said:

“There is no denying that the hospitality industry has been suffering these past few years, and I can’t pretend that we haven’t been affected.

“With costs in energy prices still increasing, costs of ingredients and stock increasing, as well as large staff costs and overheads like rent and VAT, it just isn’t financially viable to remain open.”

Odds ‘stacked against small hospitality businesses’

Ms Ward said the odds were stacked against small hospitality businesses not only because of the cost of wages but also the cost of pensions, holiday and sick pay alongside rising utility and ingredient prices.

She added:

“The team we put together have made the space their own, while also becoming part of what makes Number Thirteen so special. I’m so proud of all of them, and I’m so upset that it has had to come to this.”

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Ms Ward, who will now focus on the Castlegate shop, said she was grateful for the support she has received:

 “I have always felt so supported and connected to the people of Knaresborough, and the comments I have received from my own staff, customers and fellow business owners following the announcement have meant so much to me.

“It has been the toughest decision to make, but knowing that we will continue to be a part of Knaresborough’s business community with our Castlegate shop, lightens the load a little.”

Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones has called on his Liberal Democrat rival to apologise for wrongly claiming Harrogate train station ticket office was due to close.

Rail operator Northern said this morning it planed to shut 131 ticket offices — but Harrogate’s would be one of 18 to remain open. It is part of a nationwide cull of hundreds of ticket offices.

Some four hours after the news was announced, Tom Gordon, the Lib Dem prospective parliamentary candidate for Harrogate and Knaresborough, published a press release titled ‘Lib Dems call on rail bosses to save Harrogate ticket office’.

It said the “the closure of the ticket office at Harrogate station will lock so many people out of being able to access tickets and travel by train” and urged the government and rail leaders to “think again”.

Not closing: Harrogate train station ticket office.

An hour later Harrogate and Knaresborough Lib Dems issued an ‘updated press release’ in which Mr Gordon called for “reassurances on the future of Harrogate ticket office”.

His initial press release prompted Mr Jones to say:

“Harrogate ticket office is remaining open.  It doesn’t need saving.  It was never threatened with closure.

“Assuming they didn’t know the facts, although this may just be political scaremongering, all the Liberal Democrats had to do was read the Stray Ferret, any other local news outlet or my Community News website and they would have known the actual situation.

“The news had been up on those sites for hours before they issued their erroneous press release.  An apology to the customers and staff who have been worried by this false claim would seem to be an appropriate thing to do.”

The Stray Ferret asked Mr Gordon for a response to Mr Jones’ comments and whether he would issue an apology but had not received a response by the time of publication.

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The Curzon cinema in Ripon is to close on July 1.

The company said the Ripon venue faced “specific challenges” and the site “is not suited to the long-term direction we have taken”.

The venue’s nine staff were informed of the decision yesterday.

Curzon confirmed the news to the Stray Ferret this afternoon after a source informed us of the closure.

“Unfortunately, your information is correct, the cinema is due to close on July 1.

“The cinema has specific challenges that have meant it has not recovered as we hoped after the pandemic.

“In recent years, with several new purpose-built cinemas opening in the area, the local audience has been spread too thinly for Ripon to thrive.”

Mr Garriock added:

“The site is not suited to the long-term direction we have taken post-pandemic, driven by increased customer focus on hospitality, for example, the rooftop and pizza kitchen offering at Curzon Kingston.

“I am aware the news is a disappointment to both the staff and the local community, who share a love for the cinema.”

The Curzon is on North Street in Ripon

Curzon, which has 17 cinemas, was founded in 1934 and is known for showing art house films. It runs membership schemes that encourage people to watch films throughout the year.

The source that contacted the Stray Ferret urged people in Ripon that any queries resulting from the closure must be dealt with online and that nothing could be sorted in the cinema on North Street.

They appealed to people not to abuse staff.

Mr Garriock said “there will be no issue with customers requesting refunds for memberships they might have taken out” and urged people to call the customer helpline on 01233 555644.

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Fashion retailer Joules is to close its Harrogate shop.

The company has put a notice in the window of its store on James Street announcing its closure on Saturday, May 20.

The large Harrogate shop, which is believed to employ about 10 staff, is currently selling many items at half price.

The notice does not give a reason for the decision but says:

“We’d like to thank you lovely lot for supporting us over the years.”

It adds the nearest Joules store will be in Ilkley.

The notice in the window

Joules’ closure is the second blow for James Street in just over a month. Cards, gifts and stationery company Paperchase closed its shop at the end of March.

Joules was founded in 1989 when Tom Joule began selling clothing on a stall at a country show in Leicestershire. It now sells menswear, womenswear, kidswear and accessories across UK and Ireland.

In 2016, Joules was floated on the stock market for £140m. But in November last year it fell into administration until Next rescued it by paying £34 million for the business, plus £7 million for the head office site.

The Stray Ferret has attempted to contact Joules for further information about the Harrogate shop.

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Harrogate hair and beauty salon Dangerfield and Keane is to close after 15 years.

Owner Gerri Dangerfield announced the news on social media today, saying he “needed to address my work-life balance and spend more time with my husband, Andrew”.

The salon has been a fixture on Cold Bath Road most of this century. Mr Dangerfield, who has been a hairdresser for 49 years, previously managed Saks Hair and Beauty on Parliament Street in Harrogate.

He told the Stray Ferret he was “going out on a high” and intended to stay in the hairdressing profession, adding:

“Everything changes and it’s the right time to move on. We’ve had a great time and this is a positive decision. I’ve been flooded with emails today.”

The salon will continue to operate as normal until October 14.

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Mr Dangerfield added style director Marcus Hanson planned to open his own salon in Harrogate, and was in talks with each stylist at Dangerfield and Keane about roles, adding:

“I will almost certainly have a chair with Marcus wherever that may be.”

Explaining his decision to close the business on social media, Mr Dangerfield said:

“As you can imagine the demands of running a business the size of Dangerfield and Keane has not been easy and I now feel the time is right to take advantage of the five-year break clause in our business lease.

“I have served notice to our landlord that Dangerfield and Keane will not continue as a business once we close the current premises on Cold Bath Road on Saturday October 14.

“Although I am 62, I still have a list of things I want to achieve in my life before I retire fully from hairdressing. Retiring from running a large salon is simply the first step.

“I can only express my gratitude to all our loyal clients who have supported us over so many years. I hope I have served you well and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

He added beauty therapist Katy Smith had opened her own treatment room on Westmorland St trading under the name KS Beauty Harrogate.

Retailer M&Co is to close its branch on Fishergate in Ripon a week on Saturday.

The Scottish company, which sells clothes and homeware, went into administration for a second time in December.

Yours Clothing bought the website, brand and intellectual property but not the shops.

It means all 170 M&Co stores have either closed already or will do so shortly. About 1,900 staff are affected.

Remaining stores are offering up to 60% discounts.

Retail manager Shirelle Wallace-Hoyle posted on the Ripon M&Co’s Facebook page: