Westbury shop to close after 26 years

The shop, located on Warminster Road, started up in 1987 when original owner Phyliss Penington saw an opening in the town for ladies fashion, before current owner Heather Singer took over in 1996.

Ribbons sells casual and special occasion outfits, as well as offering an extensive range of hats, jewellery and fascinators, often attracting customers from all over the country and even as far as Cyprus.

Mrs Singer, who has run the shop with her three colleagues since 1996, decided to close because all the staff were coming up to retirement and she wanted to spend more time helping out Frome Amateur Operatic Society.

Mrs Singer, 63, of Penleigh, Westbury, said: “We have had a wonderful time over the years. The most memorable occasions have been helping people who were collecting honours at Buckingham Palace.

“Some of our outfits have also been worn at Ascot and we have spotted them on the television. We have regular customers from London and Bristol, as our prices are much more reasonable.

“We once had a woman come all the way from Cornwall because she’d seen a mother-of-the-bride at a wedding wearing one of our dresses and wanted one for when her daughter got married two years later.

“We are really excited about having a bit more free time, but our customers have been very sad and have said how much they are going to miss us. We have made a lot of friends since we started up.

“There are very few independent shops around any more and we offer a personal service that they wouldn’t get anywhere else.”

Ribbons, which is well known for its window displays, currently has a closing down sale, with many items reduced to half price. The shop is expected to close at the end of August.

Annette Peers, 61, who is the shop’s manageress, said: “We’re all coming up to retirement age and decided there are lots of things that we want to do and see, so we thought it was time we get on and do it.”