THE last outdoor clothing and accessories shop in Barnsley town centre closes on Saturday July 1.
Barnsley Outdoor Centre in Peel Parade is closing after 18 years because Bob Whitehouse, who runs the shop with Andrew Archer, is retiring.
The business started selling gear for skiers and mountain climbers but widened its scope over the years.
Mr Whitehouse, who lives in Pogmoor, said: "Andrew and I met at a wedding anniversary party. We discovered we had the same interests and I put the idea of us going into business to him. A few sober conversations later, we opened the shop."
He worked for importers of outdoor clothing for about 18 years. Before that, he was a motor mechanic at Hepworth's Garage, Stairfoot.
Mr Whitehouse said the 2001 foot and mouth crisis was the worst time for the shop. "The back street location of the shop has never been a problem because we are specialists. If we had been in the town centre during foot and mouth, we would have gone out of business because the overheads would have been higher."
Mr Archer, who lives in High Green but was born in Barnsley, lived in Adelaide, Australia for about 18 years and was a self-employed electrician before the shop opened.
