Collectors Cave, in Eld Lane, has announced it will be closing its doors forever after eight years of selling goods to the nerds and geeks of Colchester.
The family-owned store sells merchandise and collectibles from all sorts of franchises, from Marvel, to Star Wars, to Stranger Things, to Harry Potter.
But now, owner Jim Carman has decided to shut the shop for good.
“After years of serving our wonderful community, we have made the difficult decision to close our doors.
“Our lease has run out and we can update it but we don’t want to.
“If you look at Eld Lane now, compared to when we moved into our newer unit three years ago, there were no empty shops but now there are six which shows there is something wrong here.
“The landlords and the rates are killing people – we don’t pay rates but we are a very small shop.
“I am now retiring and I am looking forward to a quieter life.”
The store will not continue selling online due to Mr Carman preferring the in-person shopping experience.
He said: “People who come in the shop always love it because it is personal service, customers can see the item they want in person, it doesn’t get damaged in transit and they can take it home right away.”
The shop will shut at the end of this month and has already started its closing down sale.
A Facebook post read: “To show our appreciation, we are holding a closing down sale!
“You can enjoy fantastic discounts on a wide array of collectibles.
“This is a great opportunity to find that special item you’ve been eyeing or to add to your cherished collection.
“Thank you once again for being a part of our journey. We will miss you all dearly, but we hope to see you during our closing sale.”