A clearance sale has begun at a longstanding hardware shop and locksmith set to close this month.

Brighton institution Dockerills, in Church Street, will bid farewell to shoppers on September 27.

Items in the shop window are being sold at 50 per cent off, while pieces of timber, scrap and other odds and ends are being left outside the store for passers-by to take for free. 

The store is the last Dockerills standing, though the business has been running since 1915 when Walter Dockerill opened a store in Edward Street.

The Dockerill family bought the Church Street unit in the 1970s and it has been a constant in the North Laine ever since.

But in June, Ryan Gayler, who is married to Karen, Walter Dockerill’s granddaughter, told The Argus the store would be closing for good at 5pm on Friday, September 27.

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When announcing the closure, Mr Gayler, one of the directors of Dockerills, said: “It has been really tough. We have tried to change so much and we have tried everything.

“We made drastic changes during Covid including the unit next door being sold.

"There isn’t the natural family progression anymore. Footfall is declining, people’s shopping baskets have changed and they are spending less.

“But our customer service has always won people over, our staff are very knowledgeable and we give people a traditional shopping experience you don’t get any more.

“We always tried to keep prices fair.”

The freehold of the building was purchased by Malcolm Dockerill in the 1970s.

The business will not be completely gone as Dockerills Direct will work with trade clients only from its first-floor office in nearby Regent House.

It will offer showroom appointments for its locksmithing, ironmongery and general hardware along with fulfilling collection and delivery orders from October 1.

Dockerills plans to rent out the shop space.

In a statement on announcing the closure, the Dockerill family said: “While this chapter may be ending, the legacy of our shop will continue in the records of Brighton history and who knows it may return once these challenging and changeable times pass.

“We thank you once again for your support."