It was a sad day last Saturday when the doors closed on The Second Floor on Northgate street. The business which opened in 2018 was a collaboration between Carrie Elizabeth Sarah Hyndman and Kimberley Anderson, known respectively for their Junkbox and The Grunge Monkey fashion and lifestyle brands.

The pair set up the business shortly after the closure of Becnciks on Brook street in 2017 aiming to be “more than a shop”. After 6 and a half years Carrie and Kim are leaving 19a Northgate street but will be continuing their own brands separately.

Kim says she has mixed emotions about the closure. “. I think I’m still processing it. Covid was the main thing, before that we were really starting to get people up here. ” The business initially closed after Christmas but returned in a smaller capacity in the spring. December takings were down 50% on the year and footfall down 30 % despite the boost of the Northgate development at the end of the street. Downsizing the operation was not enough to turn things around and a closing down sale was announced in July.

Looking to the future, Kim says that “self belief is the most important thing” for an independent business. “I think you’ve got to be resilient and have the ability to adapt and pivot, and to go with it when things don’t go right. We downsized the business at Christmas and tried it a different way, but it hasn’t picked up. The location has always been an issue , and i think other things like the cost of living crisis and Brexit have all been issues…”

She and Carrie are very thankful for all the support they have received, but Kim notes that people “moan about wanting indies” and when they are there, they don’t shop at them. Commonly we read on the Facebook that Chester has “no independents” or “no decent shops” etc- an unreal statement to make, and a negativity that perhaps impacts and gives a false impression of what Chester is. Where are all the quirky shops we used to have? someone says blindly. The same kind of folk that haven’t noticed the non food traders in the successful new market.

Former council leader Mike Jones once said to me that people complained to him about the number of supermarkets and yet people use them in their masses. The same can be said about the online hate for chains like Gails and Starbucks and Costa- walk past any of these businesses and you will see that they are always busy. Does the average person actually love independents or are we all getting our stuff off of amazon ??

“I don’t know what more we could have done. I haven’t noticed anything changing on the street, there is footfall because people are using the Tesco. ” says Kim. The Grunge Monkey brand will be going online with Kim taking an office near the train station, and Carrie’s Junkbox brand will be taking up a small shop unit on Rufus Court- a well established independent hub in the city. “I’ve enjoyed running all the workshops and meeting lots of new people” Kim concludes.

Carrie commented : “It’s the end of an era. There were so many versions of The 2nd Floor; the gigs, the workshops, the local artists, the hangout, the shop… We adapted constantly & loved curating a space for the people of Chester. I really hope folks will hold fond memories of what The 2nd Floor brought to the city & how special a place it was. The independents of Chester are what make it such a vibrant place so we’d love for everyone to continue following & supporting us in our future adventures.” Thank you to Carrie and Kim for all their support over the years, to myself and the Chester community.