11/02/2026
Some personal news. Ten years ago my son and dad painted my new shop, Winston's. A lot has changed in the past decade, for my business and in my life. That's why when the lease ends at the end of the month, for the time being, Winston's will be leaving the high street.
It’s been an incredibly difficult decision to make, but the space is no longer right and the business needs a lot of time and energy to take it to the next stage of its journey. To have stayed on Back Swinegate would have been an emotional decision; this is a business decision. Obviously, I’m quite busy at the moment giving my role as Mayor my all, and that has to be my priority right now.
I know that some people will jump to the conclusion that this is to do with business rates, but just to be absolutely clear, we’ve always fallen under the threshold and business has been strong for us throughout the last five years. This is about what’s right for my business right now, nothing to do with policy.
Winston’s has changed a lot since I opened it ten years ago. We’ve gone from selling other people’s clothes to our own, supporting independent designers along the way. I’m so grateful to all my customers, friends and family who have supported us over the past decade. And most importantly my staff, who have been incredible, especially over the last eighteen months since I stepped away from the business, you have been amazing.
Shameless plug: you’ll still be able to shop online at www.winstonsofyork.co.uk.
