It has been a corner of creativity in York for 12 years.
But the Blossom Street Gallery closes today (Sunday). It will bring to an end to chapter which has seen the business weather the Micklegate Run, Covid and egg throwing royal protesters to become a thriving art gallery and gift shop.
And soon a new chapter will start here – but more of that later.
Blossom Street Gallery owner Kim Oldfield opened the shop after becoming a picture framer.
She learned the art at Pextons, then went freelance, working from home. “I got to know a lot of the local artists through my work.
“And I started to think, what, where do they go when it’s not Open Studios? So that sowed the seed for creating a gallery for local artists to exhibit, and it went from there.”
The gallery opened in the shadow of Micklegate Bar in August 2013. “When I first came here, it was still the centre of the Micklegate Run, which is why I didn’t open on Saturday afternoons or Sundays,” Kim said.
“But the community here has developed. The traders have worked hard to create a really good shopping vibe down here, and being next to Micklegate Bar, you couldn’t ask for a nicer place to be.
“And the building itself has really lent itself to this, because we’ve got the natural light from Victorian lantern. In its heyday, it was a library and booksellers, and I think it’s still maintained that vibe.”
Memorable moment
Like so many businesses, Covid hit hard. After that Kim stopped doing the picture framing service but continued as a gallery and a shop.
A memorable moment was when she was watching the King and Queen’s first visit to York from the doorway in the shop in 2022 when a protester threw eggs at the royal couple.
“They didn’t flinch. It was very impressive,” Kim said.
She has thoroughly enjoyed her time running the gallery. “There’s not really been any downsides, other than worrying about footfall and profit margins.
“But the customers are brilliant. That’s the thing I think I’ll miss the most, my customers who have come in loyally for 12 years to buy their cards and art, and the artists themselves.
“I created really good relationships with local artists, and friendships I’ll carry on after here. So that’s the bit really that I’ll shed a tear over maybe.”
Kim’s partner retired last year and then became ill “which really made me sit back and think”.
She’s now got grandchildren and wants to spend more time with her family.
“I don’t like the word retire because it makes me sound like I’m just climbing up on a heap to decompose,” Kim told YorkMix.
“But a customer gave me a nice quote. He said, you’re just rewiring and then repurposing. So that’s what I’m going to do.
“After a summer off with the grandkids I’ll probably think about doing some selling online and going back to doing craft fairs, which is where I started.”
You’ve got until 3pm today to bag a closing down sale bargain at Blossom Street Gallery.
Then it is being taking over by a woman from Alne, near Easingwold, Jenny Mace. Kim says she plans to refurb and rename it, but keep it as a gallery, with a planned opening for mid-July.
As Kim departs, she does so with a plea to the people who run York.
“It could do with a little bit of common sense from on high, a little bit more support for small traders,” she said.
“It’s a political hotspot at the moment with the parking, and that is certainly having a real negative effect.
“And I know that the thought process behind it is to make your less congested and get people to use Park&Ride. But elderly locals, or people with families, aren’t going to drive all the way out to come back in and say, buy a cabbage from Bishopthorpe Road or a card from me.
“They need to reassess what direction they want the city to go, because they’re not doing small traders any favours.
“That’s not influenced my decision to go, because I’ve always done well here, because often people walk here, and that’s lovely, and we’ve got the tourists.
“But they need to take a much wider view on what they’re changing the high street to.”