Music / News
Bristol Ticket Shop to close after 30 years
Gig-goers have been left saddened after the shock announcement of the closure of a Bristol live music institution.
Bristol Ticket Shop is closing after three decades, with their team saying that a large debt still owed to them and the ill health of their owner contributed to the decision.
The shop, which has been in a number of locations across Bristol and currently is on the High Street close to St Nick’s Market, sells tickets to gigs, festivals and special events.
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On Thursday evening, the Bristol Ticket Shop management team sent an email to their customers informing them of their unexpected closure.
It said: “After more than 30 years being part of Bristol’s incredible music scene, Bristol Ticket Shop is sadly closing. We recently received the news that a debtor owing a large amount of money was unlikely to be able to pay in a timely manner, this has forced us to cease trading.
“2 years ago the owner, Zoe became very ill. Her health has since deteriorated further, and this has also had a large impact on the resilience of the business and the decision to close.
“All the staff here are devastated. We have loved working here. The history of the business is fascinating, from lines of people queuing all the way down the arcade to get their Glastonbury tickets (in the early days) to more recently having the privilege of selling tickets for Bristol’s biggest Pride event to date. The list of incredible events we have supplied tickets for is overwhelming. There are so many regular customers, old and new, that we have really enjoyed talking to over the years and will miss you all dearly.”
The email added that the team are working hard to make sure there is as little impact to the customer as possible and are instructing a third party to negotiate with promoters to honour tickets for future events.
Portishead and Beak> band member Geoff Barrow called the news of Bristol Ticket Shop’s closure “a real shame”.
Other music fans had similar reactions. On Facebook, Andy Bright wrote: “Another piece of old Bristol disappears. I’ve used your shop since the Virgin days… with no hassle, no scalpers and no Ticketbastard surcharges. Thanks for serving us.”
On Twitter, @BassChucker wrote: “Horrible news for all involved. I’ve been using you for years, you’ve been a vital part of Bristol’s music scene and it’s poorer for this.”
Main photo courtesy of The Downs festival
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