Paul Gillam has been working at Mogford & Son for three decades
WH Mogford & Son owner Paul Gillam, left, had four staff at the shop in 2022, including daughter Sophie and staff members Kevin and Phil(Image: Paul Gillis/Bristol Live)
The owner of what has been dubbed Bristol’s oldest shop said that the decision to close the historic store was down to a number of factors – from rising costs, to changes in shopping habits, and even the state of the building.
Paul Gillam had been working at hardware shop Mogford & Son in Westbury-on-Trym for three decades, and said busy sales periods in the pandemic really just ‘hid the downturn in business’ which had gradually been happening over time because of how people were choosing to shop.
Earlier this month, BristolLive reported that the shop would be closing after 160 years following an announcement from Paul on social media.
And speaking with BristolLive today (Tuesday, June 24) Paul explained how he made the difficult decision to close the shop and chapter of his life for the last 30 years.
“The footfall has been falling since Covid really and wages and everything are going up, and in the last couple of years losing the banks has made a big difference with footfall again,” said Paul
“For the last couple of years, every year’s gone down on the usual takings per year.
“I’ve managed to cut down the staffing with people retiring, and we just balance the books. But now it’s not a viable shop with only two employees (myself and one other person).
“We really need the three but we’re not taking enough money to have the three staff.”
The Victorian shop has been a permanent fixture on the high street for more than 160 years(Image: Paul Gillis/Bristol Live)
Paul said that at the moment he is working seven day weeks, which he said is simply not sustainable. He took over the business, which spans some 160 years, back in 2004 after having worked for the previous owner since 1995.
But he said in recent years he has witnessed a huge change in people’s shopping habits.
“Covid played right into the hands of companies like Amazon, and also people’s working habits – there’s a lot more people working from home.
“It’s affected people actually walking about on their lunch breaks and popping in to buy something.”
During the pandemic, in the first lockdown, Paul described working from 7am when he’d go to suppliers, and delivering to people until 9pm.
“We were ridiculously busy during that time because we were allowed to stay open as we supplied pet food,” he explained.
“We did do well, but in a way that just hid the downturn in business over that time. It gave the company a cash boost that year, which obviously followed through, but it just really hid the underlying issues.”
Paul also claimed that planned parking charges for Westbury Village – as well as nine other district car parks across the city – has put people off shopping locally.
However there is currently no date announced for when the charges will be introduced at the Westbury Hill car park after councillors approved the introduction of parking charges in December.
The hardware shop and ironmongers as it was in the 1920s
But it’s not just rising costs and the obstacles around shopping in person that Paul said is to blame for the store’s demise.
The building within which Mogford & Son sits suffers from some disrepair, including a leaking roof, and Paul said he hasn’t been able to sell the shop for these reasons.
He added: “The roof has been leaking for nine years. A couple of weeks ago when we had the heavy storm on the Thursday, I had a bucket by the till which was collecting water.”
Despite issues like these, Paul said he has still seen a lot of love from his customers.
“The local community has been amazing. Unsurprisingly in the last 10 days sales have gone up and I think a lot of people had never been here before and were visiting for the first time,” he added.
“I think a lot of it has been down to media coverage, and it’s been a bit of a site of interest which has made people curious.
“The shop is exactly the same as it was 30 years ago when I started. Obviously some of the product lines have changed in that time.
“But it’s been my life for 30 years. I never expected to end up here for that long, but I’ve enjoyed this time and I always enjoyed the personal service and speaking with the public.”
The shop is packed with every conceivable DIY, gardening and pet product(Image: Paul Gillis/Bristol Live)
Mogford & Son will close its doors for the last time by the end of September. But for now Paul hasn’t thought too far past that day.
He said: “I haven’t made any decisions. I’m going to have to find another job. I don’t know what that will be at this moment in time. I’m just waiting to see what crops up.
“In terms of the legacy of the shop – you never know what might happen. Once the building is maintained, someone might reopen a shop.
“I’ll be curious to see if that did happen in the future, but there has already been a little bit of interest in people taking it on.”
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