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You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/the-northerner/2012/oct/15/liverpool-satterthwaites-craft-bakery-closes
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| Sadness and 70 jobs lost as Satterthwaites craft bakery closes | Sadness and 70 jobs lost as Satterthwaites craft bakery closes |
| (10 days later) | |
| Queues snaking from shops are normally associated with the latest iPhone release, gimmicky PR stunts or price slash sales. | Queues snaking from shops are normally associated with the latest iPhone release, gimmicky PR stunts or price slash sales. |
| Shoppers in their dozens lining the streets for pork pies, potato cakes, a ribbon-tied box of meringues or fabled Bavarian slices (mouth-watering masterpieces of vanilla custard, jam, fondant and exquisite puff pastry) is something else again. | Shoppers in their dozens lining the streets for pork pies, potato cakes, a ribbon-tied box of meringues or fabled Bavarian slices (mouth-watering masterpieces of vanilla custard, jam, fondant and exquisite puff pastry) is something else again. |
| Such were the incongruous scenes set against the backdrop of a cool, sunny autumn day outside shops across north Liverpool at the weekend as the independent, family-run bakers Satterthwaites finally gave in to economic pressures, closing with the loss of 70 jobs. | Such were the incongruous scenes set against the backdrop of a cool, sunny autumn day outside shops across north Liverpool at the weekend as the independent, family-run bakers Satterthwaites finally gave in to economic pressures, closing with the loss of 70 jobs. |
| The final day's trading came 102 years after the family opened its first shop in King Street, Southport. | The final day's trading came 102 years after the family opened its first shop in King Street, Southport. |
| Ex-pats texted orders to loved ones who stood patiently in the queues. The chatter was a mix of sadness, memories and bewilderment, but little laughter. Very civilised, very British, very poignant. Inside, the uniformed staff were as cheerful and obliging as ever, though evidently emotional as they thanked and bade farewell to regular customers, some over many decades. | Ex-pats texted orders to loved ones who stood patiently in the queues. The chatter was a mix of sadness, memories and bewilderment, but little laughter. Very civilised, very British, very poignant. Inside, the uniformed staff were as cheerful and obliging as ever, though evidently emotional as they thanked and bade farewell to regular customers, some over many decades. |
| A woman in her 70s openly wept as she left the College Road shop in Crosby, unashamedly dabbing her eyes with a white cotton handkerchief. | A woman in her 70s openly wept as she left the College Road shop in Crosby, unashamedly dabbing her eyes with a white cotton handkerchief. |
| Shelves of the seven shops in Crosby, Waterloo, Formby, Maghull and Netherton were cleared by midday as 'Satties' shoppers bought their favourite delicacies in bulk, some destined for freezers to be presented like fine wine on special occasions. One man snapped up £30 worth of meat pies. | Shelves of the seven shops in Crosby, Waterloo, Formby, Maghull and Netherton were cleared by midday as 'Satties' shoppers bought their favourite delicacies in bulk, some destined for freezers to be presented like fine wine on special occasions. One man snapped up £30 worth of meat pies. |
| Several people posted mobile phone snapshots of their quarry on social media as they turned to the listening ears of Facebook and Twitter to mourn their loss: | Several people posted mobile phone snapshots of their quarry on social media as they turned to the listening ears of Facebook and Twitter to mourn their loss: |
@jenwiththebunny - 'How will I live my life without @satterthwaites and their amazing custard slices? *sob* #hungry #heartbroken' | @jenwiththebunny - 'How will I live my life without @satterthwaites and their amazing custard slices? *sob* #hungry #heartbroken' |
| @tombrennan71 - 'I can't believe I've had my last @satterthwaites pork pie' | @tombrennan71 - 'I can't believe I've had my last @satterthwaites pork pie' |
| @jabbawonger - 'Hard to believe I will never know the joy of a @satterthwaites pork pie again. A sad day. Quality product, not available at Greggs et al.' | @jabbawonger - 'Hard to believe I will never know the joy of a @satterthwaites pork pie again. A sad day. Quality product, not available at Greggs et al.' |
| @StewyKingEFC - 'Only had one mini pork pie left but me ma has stocked her freezer up! #sadtimes' | @StewyKingEFC - 'Only had one mini pork pie left but me ma has stocked her freezer up! #sadtimes' |
| @dazzab21 - 'the que was up the road in college rd, but I whizzed round to liverpool rd & stocked up!' | @dazzab21 - 'the que was up the road in college rd, but I whizzed round to liverpool rd & stocked up!' |
| @iammiggy - 'Mad innit...I've been to 3 (shops) today trying to get hold of a pork pie!!' | @iammiggy - 'Mad innit...I've been to 3 (shops) today trying to get hold of a pork pie!!' |
| @mant_a_tangi - 'The thought that I may never again eat a @satterthwaites cake or pork pie fills me with gloom. The memories of eating them make me smile.' | @mant_a_tangi - 'The thought that I may never again eat a @satterthwaites cake or pork pie fills me with gloom. The memories of eating them make me smile.' |
Andrew Hoban captures the busy scene at the branch in Moor Lane, Crosby, shop, in his photo blog, while commercial photographer Mike Black made a special journey to take a poignant shot of the shop staff as they prepared to lock up for the last time. | Andrew Hoban captures the busy scene at the branch in Moor Lane, Crosby, shop, in his photo blog, while commercial photographer Mike Black made a special journey to take a poignant shot of the shop staff as they prepared to lock up for the last time. |
| On Facebook, former Satterthwaites worker Sarah Harvey wrote: | On Facebook, former Satterthwaites worker Sarah Harvey wrote: |
| I'm 46 now, every year my birthday cakes have come from Satties, probably 40 out of 46 of them being chocolate button cakes :-) I bought the kids their birthday cakes from Satties, wedding cake, yes you guessed it...Satties, divorce cake, Satties (OK I may not have got a divorce cake but if I had it would have been from Satties). | I'm 46 now, every year my birthday cakes have come from Satties, probably 40 out of 46 of them being chocolate button cakes :-) I bought the kids their birthday cakes from Satties, wedding cake, yes you guessed it...Satties, divorce cake, Satties (OK I may not have got a divorce cake but if I had it would have been from Satties). |
| Someone not feeling well, feeling down, celebrating...a trip to Satties would ensure the right thing was bought to commiserate or celebrate, never a doubt about where it came from with the box tied neatly with blue ribbon. | Someone not feeling well, feeling down, celebrating...a trip to Satties would ensure the right thing was bought to commiserate or celebrate, never a doubt about where it came from with the box tied neatly with blue ribbon. |
| The old and lonely knew where to go to ensure a smiling face and a chat without being under pressure to move on. I worked there for a while, couldn't have worked with a better group of people. Goodbye Satterthwaites, you take a big piece of my heart with you. I'll miss you more than I would have imagined. | The old and lonely knew where to go to ensure a smiling face and a chat without being under pressure to move on. I worked there for a while, couldn't have worked with a better group of people. Goodbye Satterthwaites, you take a big piece of my heart with you. I'll miss you more than I would have imagined. |
| Writer Mary Earnshaw, who lives in Crosby, paid tribute in her blog 'Memoirs of a husk': | Writer Mary Earnshaw, who lives in Crosby, paid tribute in her blog 'Memoirs of a husk': |
| So, Satterthwaites, we have to say goodbye. It's not till you start to list the things you'll miss that you realise it's not just the cakes, the bread, the pies, the friendly faces. It's more than that. And we can hardly complain, can we, those of us who love the idea, but shop with our cars at the supermarkets and convenience stores? | So, Satterthwaites, we have to say goodbye. It's not till you start to list the things you'll miss that you realise it's not just the cakes, the bread, the pies, the friendly faces. It's more than that. And we can hardly complain, can we, those of us who love the idea, but shop with our cars at the supermarkets and convenience stores? |
| Come the snow and your car won't start or the road is blocked, you make your way on foot to the all-weather dependable local shops. And then you realise. What happened to Satterthwaites? | Come the snow and your car won't start or the road is blocked, you make your way on foot to the all-weather dependable local shops. And then you realise. What happened to Satterthwaites? |
| For Satterthwaites owner Roger Wilson, the 71-year-old grandson of founders Walter and Miriam Satterthwaite it was obviously an emotional day. Rising costs and dwindling sales in 2012 had pushed his firm to the brink. His advisers ordered him to restructure or sell. He says: | For Satterthwaites owner Roger Wilson, the 71-year-old grandson of founders Walter and Miriam Satterthwaite it was obviously an emotional day. Rising costs and dwindling sales in 2012 had pushed his firm to the brink. His advisers ordered him to restructure or sell. He says: |
| I'm too old to meet these challenges, A generation ago there were up to eight bakers in Crosby and now there are none. We have stood against the tide and we have only been able to do that because of the support of all the customers. | I'm too old to meet these challenges, A generation ago there were up to eight bakers in Crosby and now there are none. We have stood against the tide and we have only been able to do that because of the support of all the customers. |
| The staff have been wonderful and there has been tremendous loyalty from the customers. I'm just sorry that this loyalty has not been rewarded with continuity. I really feel that I am letting everyone down. | The staff have been wonderful and there has been tremendous loyalty from the customers. I'm just sorry that this loyalty has not been rewarded with continuity. I really feel that I am letting everyone down. |
| The support we have had brings it home to me just how much we are letting people down. I'm so sad that I won't ever have a Satterthwaites pork pie or Bavarian slice again. | The support we have had brings it home to me just how much we are letting people down. I'm so sad that I won't ever have a Satterthwaites pork pie or Bavarian slice again. |
The firm's plight was arguably not helped by the distraction of opposing Sainsbury's threat to bulldoze their flagship art deco-style shop in Crosby village in 2009/10 to build a £50m superstore. Plans were blocked by Sefton Council and a revised version was finally abandoned by Sainsbury's this summer. | The firm's plight was arguably not helped by the distraction of opposing Sainsbury's threat to bulldoze their flagship art deco-style shop in Crosby village in 2009/10 to build a £50m superstore. Plans were blocked by Sefton Council and a revised version was finally abandoned by Sainsbury's this summer. |
| A hunt by Mr Wilson for a buyer for Satterthwaites ended in frustration last week when he turned down two financial offers, reluctantly deciding that neither plan was viable in the absence of an expert baker to maintain the quality. Now, liquidators will pick over the assets of the bakery, vehicle fleet and seven shops. | A hunt by Mr Wilson for a buyer for Satterthwaites ended in frustration last week when he turned down two financial offers, reluctantly deciding that neither plan was viable in the absence of an expert baker to maintain the quality. Now, liquidators will pick over the assets of the bakery, vehicle fleet and seven shops. |
| The golden light of this final day harked back to an age where visiting a baker's shop on the High Street was a daily habit. | The golden light of this final day harked back to an age where visiting a baker's shop on the High Street was a daily habit. |
| Roger Wilson launched the @satterthwaites Twitter account a year ago partly in a bid to grow a new generation of customers for his cherished business. After bringing the shutters down, the proud grandfather, Quaker and former oceanographer - who admitted to feeling 'broken up' by these turbulent events - took to Twitter: | Roger Wilson launched the @satterthwaites Twitter account a year ago partly in a bid to grow a new generation of customers for his cherished business. After bringing the shutters down, the proud grandfather, Quaker and former oceanographer - who admitted to feeling 'broken up' by these turbulent events - took to Twitter: |
| What can I say, except to apologise to our wonderful customers & dedicated staff for not managing to continue. Wish I could have done better. Signing off for now, with deep thanks for all the kind good wishes we have received. Say goodnight to the folks, Gracie! | What can I say, except to apologise to our wonderful customers & dedicated staff for not managing to continue. Wish I could have done better. Signing off for now, with deep thanks for all the kind good wishes we have received. Say goodnight to the folks, Gracie! |
| It's a vaudeville tradition to 'always leave 'em wanting more' and the Gracie Allen reference may have been lost on all but Satterthwaites's oldest customers. This sad but seemingly inevitable ending, however, was not the one Roger Wilson, his staff or customers wanted. | It's a vaudeville tradition to 'always leave 'em wanting more' and the Gracie Allen reference may have been lost on all but Satterthwaites's oldest customers. This sad but seemingly inevitable ending, however, was not the one Roger Wilson, his staff or customers wanted. |
| Peter Harvey is former editor of the Crosby Herald and now a PR and media consultant as well as a prominent member of the ABetterCrosby community group | Peter Harvey is former editor of the Crosby Herald and now a PR and media consultant as well as a prominent member of the ABetterCrosby community group |
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