A Dundee vintage clothes store could reopen just weeks after it shut – after the public helped change the owner’s mind.
Sharyn Farnan closed SookSouk on Perth Road in March after a “really grim” time for the business.
But the DJCAD graduate has revealed she is now working on plans to change her business model and reopen the shop, which she set up in 2021.
She says public support around the time of the closure helped change her mind.
The former Harris Academy pupil also wants to include a community hub and project space within the store.
SookSouk owner was ‘about to throw it all away’ after shop’s closure
She told The Courier that the last month away from the shop had given her time to reflect.
She said: “I decided a few weeks back I couldn’t go on any more and announced my closure.
“It felt like the right decision at the time.
“Things were feeling really grim out there but the build-up to the closing party felt different.
“The support I received was unbelievable – not in terms of money, but people who believed in SookSouk and how important it was for Dundee.
“I was just about to throw it all away, the time and energy I’d invested, the rapport I’d built up, the money I’d invested, my dream.
“The public support has been amazing since the closure and that’s what’s changed my mind to try and return.”
Sharyn has now started a fundraising drive to help relaunch the venture, including a quiz night, a GoFundMe crowdfunding page and a music night featuring local DJs.
She says the shop has “always managed to tick over” but that things “have crept up financially” in recent months and she needs help to get “out of the rut”.
She hopes to raise £3,000 through the page and additional money through the events.
‘The break has given me time to reflect and come up with a plan’
Sharyn, who also studied fashion design in Manchester, is hoping the potential new studio space could see her making her own clothes again.
She added: “The break has given me some time to reflect and come up with a plan.
“I think with a few tweaks to the business model, I can achieve this.
“I always knew it was more than a vintage clothes shop, so I need to focus on all the other elements of the business.
“A project space and community hub are part of that plan – I also want to start making my own clothes again.
“I was advised to start a crowdfunder as I can’t see a way forward without financial help at this stage of the game.
“I’ve also been looking at other ways to generate income to get the business reopen through the quiz night and DJ event.”
The pub quiz is taking place at the George Orwell pub on Perth Road on Wednesday (April 24) before a music event at The Maker, also on Perth Road, on May 3.
According to The Courier’s retail tracker, Perth Road has one of the lowest shop vacancy rates in Dundee at 8.3%.
Of the main city centre shopping streets, only Union Street is lower at 7.7%.
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