Ben's Bazaar: Sheffield charity shop fears closure after city centre building declared unsafe

A well-known Sheffield charity shop may be forced to close in the new year if donations and customer spending do not increase.

Danny McDonald, Ben’s Bazaar’s Information Hub officer, said: "The fire service came in to do a routine check. After looking around, they discovered that the building wasn’t safe.

'They shut us down with immediate effect'

"They shut us down with immediate effect and gave us a prohibition order saying we can’t trade from here."

Ben’s Bazaar‘s old store on Rockingham Gate is run by Ben’s Centre, a charity providing a safe space for people struggling with substance abuse.

Its new stall at Moor Market is failing to bring profits.

The charity was not paying rent for the store, receiving help from Community Spaces, an organisation who link together charities who need space and landlords.

It needs to find somewhere with very low or free rent to make ends meet.

'It looks like we may be shutting down in the new year'

Mr McDonald said: “We looked around at options after the closure, and the only one we could find was the market.”

“It’s not a long-term solution, simply because we are not selling enough stuff there unfortunately. We are running it at a loss and it looks like we may be shutting down in the new year.”

People have assumed that the store has completely shut, leading to a drop in donations.

Mr McDonald said: "People weren’t just coming in to go shopping, they were coming to have a chat as well. There will be a lot of people who miss that."

The old Rockingham Gate store and help desk still serves as a registered safe space for vulnerable people in Sheffield.

However, it looks unlikely that the charity will have use of this building for much longer.

The charity is contracted to keep the building until next June, but the landlord can give a month’s notice at any time.

Mr McDonald said: "We’ve been kept in the dark about what’s going on with the old building, but it looks like the repair work will be too much money for the landlord."

Mr McDonald urges customers to donate between now and Christmas to keep the charity shop open for longer.

Ben’s Bazaar is open for donation drop offs from 9:30-3:30 on Wednesday to Saturday at 1 Rockingham Gate.

The charity also welcomes cash donations through its website.

To get in contact with Ben’s Bazaar about volunteering opportunities or donations, email [email protected].