'Unique' toy shop to close after 105 years
BBCA toy shop that has been passed down generations is to close this month after trading for more than a century.
R Lowndes, on Lumley Road in Skegness, is a small family business which first opened in 1920.
Owner Anne Roberjot-Roberts, who took over the business from her grandfather Roland Lowndes, said it felt like "the right time" to say goodbye.
The 63-year-old said: "For the last few years it's been on my mind and my body is getting older and saying I need to slow down a bit."
Speaking on BBC Radio Lincolnshire, Ms Roberjot-Roberts, who has worked in the shop for 45 years, said it evokes nostalgia for customers, with people often telling her they came past the shop as children, and "put their nose against the windows to see the toys".
"We are unique and it's something of the past in a way. People still like that," she added.
Ms Roberjot-Roberts said there were "a lot of stories to be told" about the shop, including when a bomb landed directly on a gas main outside during World War Two.
She said her grandfather had been sitting directly in front of an open fire inside the shop when it happened.
"When the bomb dropped, my grandfather was flung all the way across to the other side of the shop," she said.
Mr Lowndes first opened a store in Skegness in 1920, which led to the shop which can be seen today.
Ms Roberjot-Roberts said: "My grandmother was always renowned for her amazing shop windows. She used to write everything beautifully.
"My grandpa was the brains of everything and the finance side."
People in Skegness said they could not remember a time the toy shop was not on the high street.
Customer Patricia Ingle said: "It is part of Skegness. That's what it is."
Her husband, Alan Ingle, added: "I've got photographs of my grandfather and myself standing outside of the shop here 75 years ago."
Another customer, John Molson, said the shop's closure would mark "the end of an era".
After 105 years of trading in the town, Ms Roberjot-Roberts announced the closure in a tearful video posted on social media on Tuesday.
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