A shop in York that stocks all things from games and gadgets, to skateboards and scooters, has been put up for sale.
Totally Awesome offer a carefully curated blend of products that you wouldn’t normally find on the high street.
Aamir Yusuf and his wife Lisa have owned the branch since 2017, with three sites in Hebden Bridge, Halifax, and York.
They opened their shop on Colliergate during lockdown in 2020 and have never looked back, up until now.
YorkMix headed down to the city centre spot to speak to Aamir about the sale, and to reflect on his time on Colliergate.
“We’ve loved every second of it. We picked up the keys on the first of April, during the first lockdown when everybody was closed, and it gave us an opportunity to kind of just rip the shop out and redesign it and make it brighter and better. York’s been brilliant.”
Despite the love they both hold for the business, Aamir and his wife are entering a new chapter in their life and emigrating to Crete, in Greece.
“It’s the right reason, we’re planning on staying there forever.”
Although he’s (just about) ready to move on, Aamir is still highly passionate about the longevity of each one of his shops. It’s crucial to him that Totally Awesome continues trading, just as it has done since they opened their doors.
“That was one of our key factors, in that the businesses stayed the same. So we didn’t want people to come in and start to change the whole philosophy of the shop, because this works.”
Another important element for Aamir is finding three individuals who will nurture the Totally Awesome team going forward, “I really want to sell it to somebody who will look after our staff.”
One long standing member of staff in particular has been with him for 8 years, “I’d love for somebody to come in and take care of him and grow him into an even better, more fulfilled person.”
They have so far managed to sell their Hebden Bridge and Halifax businesses to buyers who Amir is fully confident in, “we’ve found absolutely the right people”. However, York is taking a little longer than expected.
“We’ve had a little bit of interest, but not as much as I would have expected so far.”
Do you, or someone you know, fancy taking on this weird and wonderful toy shop? For more information, head to their website.