AN ICONIC city-centre vintage shop is set to close its doors for good after 40 years in business.
Uncle Sam’s Vintage, dubbed “Bristol‘s original vintage store”, is the latest casualty of rising business costs strangling the high street.
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The shop on Park Street has for decades decked out its customers in the pinnacle of cool clothing.
All the items are hand-picked, expertly-selected vintage pieces.
It is particularly well-stocked with niche Americana-style items, and also sells records.
Announcing the sad news on Instagram, Kate Territo, the owner of seven years, said: “I’m very sad to have to let you all know that Uncle Sam’s will be closing down.
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“I firstly want to thank all my loyal customers over the years who have enjoyed shopping here and finding themselves pieces I hope you’ll treasure.
“To briefly fill you in on some of the reasons and also the reality of the current economic state affecting small businesses please read on…”
Kate continued to explain that her business rates and other overheads had “increased substantially”, which had been “very damaging”.
She also revealed that footfall has “depleted on Park street and people’s shopping habits have noticeably changed”.
She said: “This is having a substantial impact on the business, especially after having to endure on and off building works and disruption in one form or another for quite some time now.”
On top of all those hurdles, Kate was facing “plans for a bus gate” which, she said, would “impact things even more”.
The explanation concluded: “It’s just simply no longer sustainable.”
The silver lining is that customers will be able to grab some “lovely pieces” for a cut-down price when Kate begins a sale to shift her remaining stock.
She said: “I have lots of lovely pieces in here that need a home and need to be worn!”
The disappointing news comes just a year since the renowned shop celebrated its 40th birthday with a big bash in April 2024.
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Kate took over Uncle Sam’s in 2018 after five years working for the previous owner.
Her predecessor was at the helm for 20 years – and likewise worked for the owner before them.
The previous owner last year told Bristol Live: “It can be tough at times, as you’re constantly figuring out what people might want and relying on the footfall.
“All the clothes are curated, hand-picked pieces. We spend hours finding items we think/hope people will like and find their own unique ways to style.”
Many shoppers took to social media to share their disappointment at the news.
One wrote: “I bought an American football training jersey in steel blue from you in 1984. It was for me to use in training as I played for Bristol Bombers American Football team.
“I loved that jersey and I sent many of my team mates along to get one of their own. It’s a memory I’ll always cherish, and no visit to Park Street was complete without a stop at Uncle Sam’s.”
RETAIL PAIN IN 2025
The British Retail Consortium has predicted that the Treasury’s hike to employer NICs will cost the retail sector £2.3billion.
Research by the British Chambers of Commerce shows that more than half of companies plan to raise prices by early April.
A survey of more than 4,800 firms found that 55% expect prices to increase in the next three months, up from 39% in a similar poll conducted in the latter half of 2024.
Three-quarters of companies cited the cost of employing people as their primary financial pressure.
The Centre for Retail Research (CRR) has also warned that around 17,350 retail sites are expected to shut down this year.
It comes on the back of a tough 2024 when 13,000 shops closed their doors for good, already a 28% increase on the previous year.
Professor Joshua Bamfield, director of the CRR said: “The results for 2024 show that although the outcomes for store closures overall were not as poor as in either 2020 or 2022, they are still disconcerting, with worse set to come in 2025.”
Professor Bamfield has also warned of a bleak outlook for 2025, predicting that as many as 202,000 jobs could be lost in the sector.
“By increasing both the costs of running stores and the costs on each consumer’s household it is highly likely that we will see retail job losses eclipse the height of the pandemic in 2020.”
