HAMILTON’S Big Wool Bales café, museum and souvenir shop will close it doors for good this afternoon.
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Proprietors Janette Bretherton and Gary Porter, who own the building and the business, are closing down “because we’ve just had enough”.
“We’ve been doing it seven days a week for six-and-a-half years and we’ve just had enough,” Ms Bretherton said.
“We’re not making a lot of money — new cafés have opened nearby and they have taken about half of our business.
“It’s just not worth all the work we put into it.”
She said custom from passing tourists used to be strong, but this had also dropped off.
The business partners will not attempt to sell it as a going concern, but will offer the building for lease or sale.
“It’s a good building in a good position with lots of potential uses,” Ms Bretherton said.
The Coleraine Road building, designed to represent giant wool bales and reflect Hamilton’s strong links with the wool industry, incorporates three areas containing a café and kitchen, a museum and a souvenir shop. It was opened in July 1989.
All food served at the café is prepared on the premises.
“I will miss the cooking, but I won’t miss running the business and the bookwork,” Ms Bretherton said.
“We’ve told all our regular customers that were closing. We also do the lunches for North Hamilton Primary School, so they will have to go somewhere else.”
