A host of favourite shops, restaurants, cafes and takeaways in the centre of Edinburgh and other parts of the city have reluctantly taken the decision to shut.
Many blame the cost of living crisis, the changes in the pattern of living after Covid or a combination of economic factors. But there are also other reasons – retirement, ill health or the end of a lease – behind some of the closures.
Changes are inevitable on the business scene, but it is always sad to see favourite places close their doors for the last time. Here are some of the shops and eateries which have shut in Edinburgh so far this year.
13. Newington Stationery, South Clerk Street
Family-run shop Newington Stationery on South Clerk Street closed in January after nearly four decades of business. Owner Mumtaz Hussain, 52, made the "tough decision" to close due to ill health. His father established Newington Stationers in 1984 as an offshoot of the convenience store he ran next door, but then he shut the convenience store and concentrated on the stationery shop. "I worked in the shop as a teenager and I got brought back after my brother stopped about three years ago. But with lockdown coming in it was tough. If I was healthier I would love to see the shop grow into a proper art shop. "For me to let go of something unique which took years to build is hard. But coming into work and physically not being able to do some simple things is what’s made my mind up about closing." Photo: Submitted