A family-run shoe shop which has closed after 50 years in Newcastle-under-Lyme has been recognised in Parliament by the town’s MP.
Farmer’s Shoe Shop, which first opened on Merrial Street in 1975 before moving to the Bridge Street end of the High Street, closed last week after owner David Farmer, who had worked in the store opened by his parents since he was a teenager, decided to retire.
On its final day, the remaining stock was donated to nearby St Giles’ Church as a gesture of thanks to the community.
Adam Jogee, MP for Newcastle-under-Lyme, tabled an Early Day Motion (EDM) in the House of Commons to recognise the contribution the Farmer family had made to the high street over the past five decades.
The motion reads: “That this House acknowledges that David Farmer, of Farmer’s Shoe Shop, and the Farmer Family are retiring and closing up shop after half a century; recognises with appreciation the announcement that Farmer’s Shoe Shop in Newcastle-under-Lyme is closing after 50 years of contributing to the local economy in Newcastle-under-Lyme and North Staffordshire; remembers with gratitude David’s parents, Frank and Sylvia Farmer, who opened the store back in 1975, first on Merrial Street and then Bridge Street; notes that Farmer’s Shoe Shop’s final day of trading will be on Friday 14 November 2025 between 9am and 4pm with all remaining stock donated to St Giles’ Church; and sends its very warmest good wishes and grateful thanks to David Farmer and the Farmer family for their contribution to Newcastle-under-Lyme over the last half century.”
Adam visited the shop on its closing day to present David Farmer with a printed copy of the EDM and to thank him personally for the contribution his family-run business has made to the high street for half a century.
He said: “I want to express my heartfelt thanks to David and the whole Farmer family. Their contribution to the local economy and the life of the high street has been enormous, and I know their legacy will be felt for many years to come.”
