by John Prince
It is the end of an era for an electrical and lighting shop in Hornsea that has been in the town for more than four decades.
George Hampson’s in Newbegin has been in business since 1982, and moved to its current location three years later.
The shop, which is owned and run by George’s son Nigel Hampson, is closing at the end of October because Nigel has decided to semi-retire.
Nigel, 61, said: “My dad and I started this shop in the early 1980s and we’ve been here ever since. It’s been a great journey, but it’s time for me to stop a lot of the lifting I think, so we’re closing the doors.
“My father retired in 2000 so I took it over and carried on running it. It’s going to be very strange for us all.
“I’d like to say a huge thank you to all our customers for the last 43 years. A lot of them are friends, and it’s been a wonderful time for our family, our staff and for the families we’ve seen growing up around us.
“It’s a sad day for the high street. I was planning on it next year anyway, but our appliance supplier has gone into administration. That’s brought our plans forward as we can’t get our stock in quickly enough.
“I imagine that the unit will go up for let, but I don’t know what will happen to it next.
“We’ve had two generations running the shop and it has been a big commitment, but I’m looking forward to taking it a bit easier.”
Shopper Judy Johnson, 79, said: “It’s a big loss. Nigel’s always been so helpful and he’s local of course, so when you wanted him, he’s been there. He’d always come out for problems. We’ll really, really miss it because there’s nothing else like it in Hornsea.”
Her friend Sue Williams, 82, said: “He will be so missed. For the older generation, you’d just have to ask Nigel and he’d be there. It’s been very important for us.”
Nigel is now going to be working from home and is available to repair appliances and for electrical work. For enquiries you can contact him on 07939 372298 or [email protected].