Oswestry shop owner still in shock 10 days after storefront crash
Shop owner still in shock 10 days after crash
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Alex James
BBC Radio Shropshire
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TJ Shotton has run Under One Roof since 2023.
An Oswestry shop owner says the shock of a car crashing into his storefront 10 days ago still hasn't set in.
TJ Shotton, who owns the collaborative art shop Under One Roof on Leg Street, says that sweeping the remains of his shop and stock out of the road was "heartbreaking".
Mr Shotton told the BBC that he doesn't feel like he has fully processed the crash and that it's aftermath has felt "full on".
The shop window has remained boarded up since a grey VW Tiguan collided with it just after 23:00 BST on the 28th of April. West Mercia Police say the investigation into the crash is ongoing.
"It will be a struggle to find somewhere for local artists to go while we're closed"
TJ says he doesn't know how long it will take to repair the damage to the shop.
"We're still paying for a shop that you can't access through the front door, because there is no front door", he said.
Under One Roof initially opened on the 4th of November 2020, one day before England's second Covid lockdown, and helps sell work from over 60 local artists and creatives.
TJ Shotton, who now owns the store, says all of the artists who had stock at the shop are aware of the crash and the damage.
He says that some of the artists lost all of their stock in the crash, while others that had been set to join are no longer able to.
"If we're closed for ages, they're not going to have anywhere to input their art. It will be a struggle to find somewhere for local artists to go while we're closed," Mr Shotton added.
"The idea of the shop is to put them out on the high-street and give them an opportunity... it's part of our duty to sell these items for the artists and they've got nothing left to sell."
TJ says he doesn't know how long the repairs will take but Under One Roof will be back.
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