New lease of life for long-established Thurso business
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A long-established Thurso business has been sold and is to take on a new lease of life.
Elizabeth's Fabrics, which has been run by Elizabeth Macdonald for a quarter of a century, is to become a restaurant.
But the building at 1-3 Brabster Street will also incorporate retail outlets for jewellery, curtains and sewing repairs, said Mrs Macdonald, who ran the business with her daughter Alison Munro.
"It has been a very good business over the years but we saw a difference over the last five or six years as online shopping became more popular," said Mrs Macdonald, a former councillor. "We did sell online ourselves but it was really hard work. Shopping has changed so much in recent times and we decided enough was enough."
She pointed out that the premises will be turned into a restaurant on the ground floor with the jewellery and sewing repairs housed in the upstairs part. There will still be a family connection in the new set-up as Alison is to continue with the curtains part of the business from the building.
The sale was completed earlier this year and it is expected the new enterprises will open "fairly soon", Mrs Macdonald said.
She admitted to having "mixed emotions" about selling the premises after almost 26 years but is also philosophical about the move.
"I will miss the customers and the folk I worked with. It's sad that it has come to an end but these things happen. That's life," she said.
The closure of Elizabeth's Fabrics, which stocked a range of products, including fabrics, curtains, blinds and soft furnishings, resulted in the four staff being made redundant.
The building was previously a Chinese restaurant and was also a car showroom many years ago.
