The closing date for one of High Wycombe’s most recognisable and unique venues has been confirmed.
The Air Raid Shelter, which sits in Frogmoor, announced earlier this year that the café and entertainment site will officially cease trading in 2025 as a result of a lack of footfall, but no specific date was set.
Now, it has been confirmed that the business’s last day of trading will be Sunday, July 27.
An advert on Zoopla has revealed the landlord is looking for a new tenant by the end of next month, with the building having an annual rent of £45,000, or £3,750 per month.
Speaking to the Free Press back in February, owner Chris Miller said: “I started in the Chilterns and I did quite well then as Wilkos was there, which generated a lot of footfall.
“I then bought the lease here in November 2019 to turn it into a high-end pub, which I called the Sosh Club.
“I tried hard with that, but Wycombe wasn’t ready for something like that.
“I had also invested so much money in this building, and the Chilterns were supposed to be knocked down.
“So, instead of surrendering the lease of this building, I decided to move the café in here with the attempt to try and claw some money back and grow it as a business.
“Sadly, it’s got to the point where I can’t go on.”
The business originally opened in 2018 in the Chilterns Centre but moved into Frogmoor at the start of the 2020s.
And despite having over 12,000 followers on Facebook as well as 2,400 fans on Instagram, Mr Miller admitted that the online ‘numbers ‘do not equate to people walking through our doors’.
On Google, the Air Raid Shelter boasts numerous positive reviews as it currently has a score of 4.6/5 from 367 pieces of feedback.
One reads: “Fabulous Forties themed cafe.
“So much to see, so many nooks and crannies to enjoy your refreshments.
“The amount of hard work to provide such a mind-boggling array of British wartime ephemera is very impressive.
“An absolute warren of memories, so many places to capture a moment in time.
“Perfect for WW2 history buffs
“A great afternoon out for tea and scones. Well done, Air Raid Shelter.”
Another reads: “Visited this interesting and intriguing café/1940s museum.
“Every room brought back memories of my nan's house.
“Had afternoon tea with a friend. Wow, a great choice of finger sandwiches, cakes and especially scones, jam and cream and pots of tea.
“Very good service from the lovely staff, too.
“I throughly recommend a visit to this special place.”
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