29/05/2026
ONE WEEK TO GO BEFORE WE CLOSE!
We will be extremely sad to be shutting shop at 5pm on Saturday 6th June.
Our gift shop has been home to 11 incredible small, local businesses for over 5 years — each one run by passionate, dedicated people who pour their hearts into everything they make and sell. Every purchase you’ve made hasn't just supported us — it's supported 11 families, 11 dreams, and 11 little pieces of this community.
From the bottom of our collective hearts, thank you. For choosing local. For choosing us.
We have not given up on finding a new home yet! We are searching hard and remain hopeful — but we would be doing you disservice if we didn't speak plainly about the challenge we face. The reality of the high street is a sobering one for an independent cooperative like ours. Rents and rising business rates are dramatically higher than what we have been able to sustain within the shopping centre, and unlike the structured terms we were used to, negotiating with independent landlords brings an entirely different set of pressures. We have yet to find anything that comes close to offering the same balance of affordability, footfall, and community presence — and without that, we cannot in good conscience commit to a location that would put our 11 businesses at risk.
We have been part of the Nicholson Centre and, like so many other independent businesses, we have found ourselves without meaningful support during this transition — private landlords control the units on the high street, and thus the local council has been unable to assist us in finding a way forward.
The impending restructure of Maidenhead town is heartbreaking, and we are particularly conscious of what the wider loss of the Nicholson Shopping Centre will mean for our residents. With the redevelopment expected to take four to five years to complete, and M&S set to leave next summer, the town centre will face a sustained period of reduced footfall that will be felt by everyone. Our thoughts are especially with the elderly members of our community, who have always found their way to us — not only to shop, but to stop, to chat, and to feel welcomed. That matters more than we can say, and it is not something that cannot easily be replaced.
We also cannot ignore the broader picture. Nationwide housing targets are driving an unprecedented wave of residential development, and across the country high streets like ours are losing the independent, community-rooted businesses that give them their character — replaced by yet more flats. It is a trend that saddens us deeply.
To each and every one of you who has walked through our door, bought a gift, recommended us to a friend, or simply stopped for a chat — thank you. You are the reason we kept going as long as we did, and you are the reason we will continue to do our best to appear again in the future!
We will be open until 5pm on Saturday 6th June and would love to see as many familiar faces as possible before we say goodbye for now. Many more items have been added to our sale stock and cakes will be available to nibble while stocks last!
With gratitude and love from the ladies of ORA x
If anyone knows of a reasonably priced retail unit, or shared space within an existing business, in Maidenhead or the surrounding area, please reach out to us by email : [email protected]
