The owner of an Upton card shop has thanked her “amazing” customers for their support as the shop prepares to close.

Greetings from Upton will be closing in the next couple of months, after six years in the town.

Owner Kelly Preece said footfall has affected her decision to close but that her reasons were mostly personal.

Malvern Gazette: Greetings from Upton is closing down in the next couple of monthsGreetings from Upton is closing down in the next couple of months (Image: Kelly Preece)

“I’ve been here since 2017,” she said. “We started in a smaller shop then moved here in January 2020 - then the pandemic hit.

“That was a bit rocky, having a bigger premises with more overheads, but the people of Upton have always been brilliant.

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“We’ve always had amazing customers - Upton is like one big family.

“Some of my customers live alone and will often come in for a chat, even if they don’t buy anything. I’ve really loved getting to know everyone.”

Kelly, who lives in Welland, said the music festivals that Upton is famous for have been great for the shop.

“The festivals are amazing,” she said. “They drum up a lot of business for Upton in general, not just the pubs and cafes.

“We’ve got the jazz festival at the end of June and then the blues festival, which is huge for Upton.

“I’m starting a sale as of today - I could have sent stock back to the warehouse but I wanted to offer some bargains to the people of Upton.

“So we’ll see how that goes over the next couple of months, but I’m going nowhere until after the blues festival.”

When she does call it a day with the shop, Kelly is likely to be kept just as busy at home.

“I’m going to concentrate on family life,” she said. “I’ve got a new granddaughter on the way, so I’m going to be a more hands-on grandma and spend more time with the family.”

Upton Jazz Festival takes place from June 23-25 and Upton Blues Festival is July 21-23.