Collectables R Us, which was based along Church Street, shut its doors for the final time on Sunday, March 30 after a difficult five years of trading in the town.
After initially opening in January 2020 in the Chilterns Centre, the husband and wife team of Daryl and Carole Earle were hit with the Covid-19 pandemic which forced numerous business to temporarily close as lockdowns were introduced.
Once restrictions were lifted, they continued to trade until they moved into a new location inside the shopping centre, before they eventually transferred themselves to the Eden complex just a few feet aware.
However, shoplifting issues along with the cost-of-living crisis in 2022 made things difficult for the duo, as they relocated for a fourth time in June 2024.
This was in the space they ended their tenure in along Church Street, a few yards away from Frogmoor.
Taking to Facebook after they closed their doors for the final time, the husband and wife team said: “Goodbye High Wycombe, our shop is now closed.
“Thank you to all our wonderful customers, who have supported us, including Alexander, who gave us a leaving card with a train drawn on the front.”
Despite their departure, Daryl and Carole will continue to trade via their website and plan to appear at some shows up and down the country.
The decision to close the shop was made on January 31 this year in which they saw a sudden increase in customers and clients from various parts of the Thames Valley.
Many of them were sad to see the local independent close, but the couple explained their reasons why.
Speaking to the Free Press last month, they said: “The main reason is that the costs are going up in April and trade has been going down.
“We had to make a decision and we agreed that it wasn’t viable to continue.
“For the last two years, we have seen a huge decrease and this coincided with the cost-of-living and energy crisis.
“This happened when we moved into the Eden Centre and it has impacted us.
“It was too expensive to continue in there so we moved into the current unit [in June], but Christmas was our worst in five years.
“We can usually gauge what the weeks leading up to Christmas would be like but last year it was out of sync.
“It was awful.”