08/09/2026
❤️ A final farewell from us… ❤️
After 135 years, it’s incredibly difficult to write these words, but the time has finally come to say goodbye to Barsleys.
For our family, Barsleys has never simply been a shop. It has been such a huge part of our lives — our family, our work, our friendships and our community have all been intertwined with it for generations.
We have grown up with Barsleys, worked alongside our family, and had the enormous privilege of meeting and getting to know so many wonderful customers over the years. We’ve watched children come in for their first shoes and then, years later, return with children of their own. We’ve shared conversations, celebrations, frustrations, laughs and countless cups of tea along the way!
There have been challenging times, especially in more recent years, but when we look back, it is the people and the memories that we will remember most.
To everyone who has ever walked through our doors — whether you have been shopping with us for decades or only discovered us recently — thank you.
Thank you for choosing to support an independent family business. Thank you for your loyalty, your kindness and your encouragement. Thank you for telling your friends about us, for coming back year after year and for making us feel like such an important part of the local community.
We also want to say a huge thank you to every member of the Barsleys team, past and present. So many people have contributed to the story of Barsleys, and we are incredibly grateful for everything you have given to the business over the years.
It is impossible to put 135 years into one post. There are far too many stories, characters and memories — and we’re sure many of you have your own Barsleys stories to tell! But perhaps that is what makes saying goodbye so hard.
Barsleys may have closed its doors, but the memories will stay with us forever.
From both of us, and from our family, we would simply like to say:
Thank you, Paddock Wood. Thank you to our customers. Thank you to our staff. And thank you for 135 incredible years.
It has been an absolute privilege.
With love and very mixed emotions,
Richard & Alice ❤️
