A charity shop selling exclusively Fairtrade products faces an urgent hunt for a new home after being given notice on temporary premises.
Campaigners were delighted in the summer when they secured a rent-free prime spot in Aberdeen’s Union Street to promote their message.
The owners offered the premises, between Broad Street and St Nicholas Street, to good causes while they searched for a commercial tenant.
Aberdeen for a Fairer World (AFW) started selling fairly-traded food, drink and clothes from the former skateboard shop in August.
It stocks products from all over the world – including an Orkney chutney – as well as offering information about poverty and development.
The charity did not expect to make a profit but hoped proceeds from pre-Christmas sales would help it break even, while raising awareness.
Aberdeen City Council agreed a £2,500 grant in September to help with the cost of business rates on the premises.
But the charity has now been told that despite the downturn, a commercial tenant has been found and it must move out.
The doors will close on Saturday, October 29 at 4pm.
Retired academic Nigel Dower, who chairs AFW, said it was sad that the chance to promote its work had ended so soon.
But the ex-Aberdeen University philosophy lecturer appealed to other landlords to consider opening up other vacant Granite City shops.
“We knew it was never going to be permanent but it has come to an end rather sooner than we hoped,” he said.
“It will lose money because we are not carrying on into the Christmas period, which is sad, but we do not regret the decision because it has helped raise a lot of awareness.”
The set-up of the shop was funded from reserves built up by a similar venture which closed several years ago.
Council finance convener Willie Young said the local authority would look at whether it had any suitable space for the shop to operate from if no private landlords came forward with alternatives.
He hailed the quicker-than-anticipated letting of the shop as a positive sign about the city economy.
The shop will be open today from noon-4pm, tomorrow from 9am-4pm and Sunday from 11am-4pm.
Next week it is due to open on Wednesday from 11am-4pm, Friday from noon-4pm and Saturday from 9am-4pm.
