A beloved shoe shop is set to close after a century of trading in the latest blow for the UK high street. Sowerby's Shoes opened in a garden shed in 1925 before moving to Stourbridge town centre and has been adored by local people since.

The shop is run by Clive Sowerby who has confirmed that it will close its doors for good on May 31. It was established by Will Sowerby in 1925 before Joe and Arthur Sowerby moved the business to a shop in New Street. Clive then joined in 1968 and the shop eventually shifted to Lower High Street in 1977 where it has remained since.

Sowerby's Shoes is one of the longest trading shops in the town, according to the Express and Star. Despite its store closure, Clive, 81, remains optimistic for the future as the business will continue online.

He said: "It’s sad, you’ve got to feel sad, but I'm also confident it’s the right decision. I’m looking forward to the future and doing something different."

Clive is being helped by Ben Thompson, a computer science student at the University of Birmingham, who is developing the website. This will help Sowerby's Shoes to continue to provide the same high level of service to customers.

The 81-year-old said: "That very much is going to continue. It’s really a combination of experience and knowing what sells and good value for customers - customers who haven’t met us.”

He added: "We’re finding a lot of customers are picking up on the fact that we’re a family business. We’re not just faceless - we’re here and we’re real people and we have knowledge of 50-plus years."

Although he will continue to operate the business online, Clive hopes the store closure will give him more time with his wife Helen who has a rare form of leukaemia. He also hopes to give attention to his allotment.

He said: “I’m nearly 82 but I don’t believe in retiring - to me I enjoy life too much - meeting people and selling shoes.”