A Wolverhampton hardware store will finally re-open this week after 14 weeks of COVID-19 shutdown.
Robert Malpas, 71, has run ‘Bob’s Nail Bar’ since taking over the shop from his father in 1971. He told Spoofflé of his frustration at having to close down in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s bloody daft, that’s what it is,” he said. “I told the twat from the council we sell nails, we don’t file ‘em down, but ‘e wouldn’t have it.”
Robert’s staff have all been laid off since March and he is now worried that they will have lost their extensive product knowledge when they finally return.
“All our nail sales staff were furlonged and they do get rusty very quickly,” he said. “We’ve taken a real hammering and if customers don’t come back soon I reckon we’re screwed.”