Little Boo Loves Farsley: Beloved west Leeds gift shop set to shut over rising costs

Victoria Bruce set up online gift shop Little Boo Loves from her kitchen table in 2014 after struggling to find the decor she wanted for her daughter's bedroom, and with business soon booming and orders showing no sign of slowing down, Victoria snapped up a unit in Farsley's Springfield Mills in November of 2021.

But with the cost of living crisis and rising costs beginning to take hold, Victoria has now taken to the store’s official Facebook page to announce that she will be moving her stock entirely online, shutting the Farsley store.

She said: “I have decided to close the shop in its current location. A number of things have led me to this decision – lack of footfall where I am, increasing stock costs, rent increases, as well as a couple of other things that I won't go into. It's just all a lot of pressure on top of my personal/ family life and I literally do not stop. Ever.

“Yesterday morning, I knew what I was doing and where I was going – that was that I was moving to a unit that I could store my stock and work from – focusing on running the business online again. As this is where the majority of my sales are.”

Little Boo Loves sells cards, small gifts, home decor and accessories and many of the items are hand-painted and can be personalised for special occasions. Many of the store’s stock is now for sale on special offers as Victoria prepares to shut up shop for good on July 22.

The post has been inundated with customer well wishes, as Victoria added: “I've loved my little shop and I still do. Everyone who comes in loves it. Sadly love and enthusiasm don't pay the bills. If they did, I'd be rich.

“Thank you to everyone who has been in and supported me. I'll forever be grateful. It isn't goodbye – it's just change and going in a slightly different direction.”