Shoppers have bid farewell to a family-run department store after 135 years of trading.
There were tears shed among customers who gathered at Barsleys Department Store in Commercial Road, Paddock Wood, as it closed its doors yesterday (August 1).
Shoppers gathered to bid farewell to Barsleys Department Store. Pictue: Lee Probert
It comes after directors of the business announced “with a heavy heart” in May that it would be shutting, with all 36 members of staff being made redundant.
Dad and daughter, Richard and Alice Barsley, said it had been a “difficult” decision prompted by “growing economic and social pressures”.
As part of the final chapter for the store, it held a public closing down sale launching on May 15.
Yesterday (August 1) marked its final full day of trading.
To mark the occasion, customers gathered outside the shop at 5pm to say goodbye.
Alice Barsley and her father, Richard Barsley. Picture: Martin Apps
Speaking to the crowd, Richard said: “It’s absolutely phenomenal that you have all come and I am overwhelmed by it all.
“Thank you, it means so much that we meant a lot to you.”
Barsleys will remain open on Fridays and Saturdays this month between 10am and 2pm for any school uniform customers as well as sell any final items, fixtures and fittings.
Richard, who was trained in clothing and outfitting at Sharp’s of Maidstone, joined the department store in 1974.
Alice joined the company in 2013 after gaining a first in economics at University College London, before working in Debenhams’ head office in London for three years.
In September 2024, the shop had a sale to celebrate a £1.5m refurbishment, which drew large crowds and excitement from the community.
The roots of the family business go back to 1891 when Charles Barsley took over the running of a tailoring establishment in Brenchley.
He travelled around the locality by bicycle or by horse and cart, measuring his clients in their homes, while other customers called at the shop, where there was a tailoring workshop employing three to four men.
By 1900, trade increased enough to enable him to open a shop in Paddock Wood.
And in 1903, he purchased Alma Cottages in Commercial Road, which was then in the Parish of Brenchley, and enlarged the building to accommodate a shop, which is on the site of the current store.