AN Egremont shop owner has been left devastated after being forced out of her premises.
Linda Lace, who owns Which Craft - a wool shop which is part of the Red Lion pub - has had to shut up shop after being told the building is to be demolished.
She has been running the popular business on Main Street for 14 years with her husband, Dixon.
The Red Lion pub was still open when Which Craft began trading but has stood empty for the last 10 years and is now in a dilapidated state.
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Mrs Lace said she was told by the owner of the pub on Thursday that the building would be knocked down and they would have to leave.
She said: “They came on Thursday and said we were out.
“We are devastated. We’ve been here for 14 years. It’s a big loss.
“We just don’t know what to do. There isn’t anywhere else at the moment.”
They have now cleared out the shop ahead of the demolition.
Mrs Lace said: “I don’t know what the people in Egremont are going to do.
“They are going to be lost. There isn’t much in the town now.”
The couple began running the business as a hobby after Mrs Lace retired from the Co-Op.
As well as being popular with locals, the business attracts customers from as far as Preston, Barrow and Millom.
“They come from all over. They visit to come to our shop. We really are a busy shop.”
Which Craft has been burgled in the past when intruders managed to break-in through the pub.
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