A BELOVED high street homeware store is closing after nearly a decade in business. The owner of the Tameside shop announced a huge shop clearance with 20 percent off all items. LH Homemade will close at the end of this month, or potentially sooner if they sell all their stock. The store was known for its scented candle, wax melts and reed diffusers. Lauren Higgins originally opened her shop in Top Mossley before moving to Stalybridge in 2022.
![[Interior of a homeware store with shelves of candles, soaps, and other products.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/closing-time-popular-homeware-store-970218909.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
She was offered an opportunity in dentistry and with the lease on the shop up in December she made the decision to close. She told Tameside Correspondent: “I would like to thank all of my lovely customers, many of whom have become friends. “I’m so very sad to be closing my shop, but I physically cannot manage both.”. As well as selling her stock for low prices, she will also be flogging raw materials, equipment, fixtures and fittings.
![[Shelves of candles, reed diffusers, lotions, and body washes in a homeware store.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/closing-time-popular-homeware-store-970218904.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
Lauren's shop is just one of many independent stores struggling to stay afloat. Last year the UK lost 37 shops a day, with 13,500 closing for good in 2024, a rise of 28 percent on 2023, according to the Centre for Retail Research. The pace is expected to stay the same in 2025, with an estimated 17,350 closures and they expect the vast majority - some 14,660 - to be independent retailers. There are myriad reasons as to why a shop might decide to shut - for example, the owner may simply retire or the lease for the plot might end.
![[LH Homemade store closing after eight years.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/closing-time-popular-homeware-store-970218900.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
But one of the common themes among many independent retailers is that conditions on the high street are too tough to keep trading. Since the pandemic, the number of people spending on the high street has declined, with more people switching to online shopping or cheaper brands. This has aligned with energy prices soaring, particularly for businesses, while rents have also surged over the past few years.
