Iconic pop culture business loved by collectors will shut forever in just DAYS as it launches huge closing down sale
Residents and have been devastated by the news of the closure, as it has been a shopping hotspot in the city for almost a decade.
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The Collectors Cave in Colchester is set to close at the end of the month, with a number of collectibles up for grabs at a cheap price until then.
Store owner, Jim Carman, made the difficult decision not to renew the shop's release and close it down after seven years.
He has instead decided to retire, the Colchester Gazette reports.
Local reporter and previous customer of the store, Grace Capel, said: "I remember buying my first Spawn comics here and Jim told me all about more horror comics to get into.
"I also purchased a rare mini Simpsons Funko Pop for my brother along with Star Wars stickers and pins for my friends.
"Many of my friends have fond memories of finding items they can't find anywhere else in this little corner of Colchester."
The Collectors Cave has been a unique store for finding a wide range of pop culture items and memorabilia.
It is a place where things like Funko Pops, signed pictures, posters, figurines, pinks, keyrings, comics and mystery boxes can be found.
Capel recalled the store stocking at one point also stocking an impressive collective of vintage band patches.
She added: "The city is sad to see another unique, independent and family-owned store leave its streets."
I bought a pricey-looking necklace in the charity shop for £1.50 - I was floored when I discovered its actual value
In an announcement made to social media regarding the closure, the Collectors Cave wrote: "It is with a heavy heart that we announce the closing of our beloved collectors shop.
"We want to take this opportunity to express our heartfelt gratitude to each and every one of you for your unwavering support throughout the years.
"Your passion for collecting has made our shop a truly special place."
They added: "To show our appreciation, we are holding a closing down sale!
"This is a great opportunity to find that special item you've been eyeing or to add to your cherished collection."
The Collectors Cave has also been a foundational site for the annual charity event Invasion of Colchester.
Celebrities like Shane Rimmer, the voice of Scott Tracy in Thunderbirds, and Madeleine Smith, an actress known for her parts in classic Hammer horror films, are reported to attended the shop during the popular event.
Why are retailers closing shops?
EMPTY shops have become an eyesore on many British high streets and are often symbolic of a town centre's decline.
The Sun's business editor Ashley Armstrong explains why so many retailers are shutting their doors.
In many cases, retailers are shutting stores because they are no longer the money-makers they once were because of the rise of online shopping.
Falling store sales and rising staff costs have made it even more expensive for shops to stay open.
The British Retail Consortium has predicted that the Treasury's hike to employer NICs from April 2025, will cost the retail sector £2.3billion.
At the same time, the minimum wage will rise to £12.21 an hour from April, and the minimum wage for people aged 18-20 will rise to £10 an hour, an increase of £1.40.
In some cases, retailers are shutting a store and reopening a new shop at the other end of a high street to reflect how a town has changed.
The problem is that when a big shop closes, footfall falls across the local high street, which puts more shops at risk of closing.
Retail parks are increasingly popular with shoppers, who want to be able to get easy, free parking at a time when local councils have hiked parking charges in towns.
Many retailers including Next and Marks & Spencer have been shutting stores on the high street and taking bigger stores in better-performing retail parks instead.
In some cases, stores have been shut when a retailer goes bust, as in the case of Carpetright, Debenhams, Dorothy Perkins, Paperchase, Ted Baker, The Body Shop, Topshop and Wilko to name a few.
What's increasingly common is when a chain goes bust a rival retailer or private equity firm snaps up the intellectual property rights so they can own the brand and sell it online.
They may go on to open a handful of stores if there is customer demand, but there are rarely ever as many stores or in the same places.
The Centre for Retail Research (CRR) has warned that around 17,350 retail sites are expected to shut down this year.
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