Susan's of Gosport: Historic bridal shop to close after 52 years as owner announces retirement
Susan’s bridal shop is closing after more than 50 years of business.
The owner of a bridal shop that has been trading for five decades says it feels “bittersweet” to be closing down.
Since 1974, Susan’s of Gosport has been helping people to find their dream wedding and prom dresses. It’s a store that has been visited by generations of shoppers in the town, with a repuration for high-quality dresses and friendly customer service.
On Saturday, May 30, Susan’s will close for the final time, with owner Beverley Thorne retiring. The 65-year-old has been at the helm of the shop for the past nine years.
Speaking to The News, she said: “I’ve had people coming in who said they bought their dresses here back in the 1980s, which is lovely to hear about.
“It’s bittersweet I suppose. I love what I do - that feeling of seeing somebody find the perfect wedding dress, or prom dress, cannot be beaten. But I’m retiring and the lease is up as well, I don’t want to lock myself into another six years.
“I can’t quite imagine myself fitting dresses from the comfort of a Zimmer frame, after all.”
The shop has been known as Susan’s since the day it opened - even though none of the recent owners have borne that same name. Despite that, nobody would have dared to rebrand something that became renowned as a Gosport institution.
Even as life at the shop starts winding down, things are still as busy as ever for Beverley.
She said: “There was a woman who came in a couple of weeks ago - her wedding was coming up and she’d been keeping everything in a storage container, which was broken into.
“She came in and found tthe most gorgeous dress; she was sobbing, and so was I. It was one of tthose moments that reminded me of how lovely a job this has been. I’m really going to miss it.”
For the next week and a bit, until the store closes for good, Susan’s is having a massive clearance sale, with dresses that would ordinarily be £200 cut down to just £30.
“I just had to let go, in the end,” Beverley said. “But I’ve got so many wonderful memories from my time running Susan’s, and I hope our customers have too.”