AS new shops open up and old shops faze out, some are left as a distant memory for Colchester.
Colchester City Centre has always been a hub where small businesses can grow whilst surrounded by national chains.
Here, we go back to a decade ago to look at the shops we lost and the many we saw open in 2014 and see if they are still standing.
In February, Next opened its doors at the former Comet site in Tollgate Retail Park.
It still stands next to its home store at the now even bigger shopping park.
In July, the popular independent bakery Kathleens Kitchen shut its doors letting customers know “the oven had broken”.
But one month later, bailiffs were said to enter the premises and seize all goods.
In August, HMV moved from Lion Walk Shopping Centre to Culver Square, replacing clothes shop USC.
Before being a USC shop, the site was occupied by the Zavvi music store and before that, a Virgin Megastore.
In September, St Helena’s Hospice opened its Magdalen Street shop charity shop.
The secondhand clearance shop is still open today, helping to raise funds for the hospice which supports people in north east Essex facing incurable illness and bereavement.
The shop opened with a special £1 section where shoppers were able to pick up some unique bargains whilst raising money for the charity.
In October, Laurence and Judith Koenick opened Hair-Tech at 43 St Botolph’s Street after four years of success selling specialist hair products at car boot sales and at Witham and Colchester markets.
The business still remains open today but has been renamed as Nu-trendz.
Hudson House in 19 Head Street threw open the doors to its new bar lounge in November.
Run by the Elysium Group, which also manages the Pavilion restaurant in 20-21 Middleborough and Mimosa in The Crescent, Highwoods.
Hudson House is still thriving, known to locals as ‘Hudson’s’, it had a revamp last year to modernise the site.
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