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Aberdeen cafe forced to close after drop in customers leaves owner barely able to pay bills

Owner Nick said the heartbreaking decision was the "right thing to do".

Nick Duthie outside Red Robin Records
Business owner Nick Duthie outside Red Robin Records on Correction Wynd. Image: Paul Glendell/DC Thomson.

An Aberdeen cafe and vinyl store will close for good this week.

Red Robin Records Vinyl Cafe, on Correction Wynd, has been forced to shut after a drop in customers left the owner barely able to afford the bills.

The shock announcement comes just four months after owner Nick Duthie launched a GoFundMe page as a “last resort.”

Nick, owner of the Red Robin Records Vinyl Cafe making a coffee at the machine.
Opening the Aberdeen cafe was a dream come true for Nick. Image: Kenny Elrick/ DC Thomson.

In a statement, posted on the cafe’s Instagram, Nick said the heartbreaking decision was “the right thing to do.”

He wrote: “We have taken the decision to close the cafe at the end of the month.

“It’s heartbreaking, but it’s the right thing to do.

“The sales from Record Store Day is the only reason I can pay the bills this month, the cafe itself has been so quiet and I can’t risk another month with the fear of not being able to pay staff.

“I want to thank everyone who has either been a customer or donator to our fund, all the staff and just say how much joy serving and working with you all has brought me.

“Please keep supporting the remaining independents left in the city centre, they need you more than you know.”

Nick opened his dream business on Correction Wynd in 2019, however, following the crippling covid pandemic and the cost of living crisis, he found himself in a “bit of a pickle.”

A target of £100,000 was set, with more than £7,000 raised so far.

Despite his efforts, Nick has been forced to give up his dream.

Independent business owners acknowledge the struggle amidst cost of living

The cafe will be open to customers today and tomorrow between 10am until 4pm, before closing its doors for the final time.

Fellow business owners have resonated with their struggles.

Owners of Roxy Vinyl Cafe acknowledged the hardships facing independent business owners in the current climate.

Taking to the comments, they wrote: “Ah no, sorry to hear. Can definitely relate, it is really hard to keep going in the face of these headwinds.

“Hope it is a temporary setback and you get a breather to take stock and find out a better way. Good luck either way.”

Loyal customers and fellow traders have taken to social media to respond to the shock announcement, leaving many hoping for their return to the high street in the future.

One customer labelled their coffee the best in the city, writing: “Gutted. Best coffee in Aberdeen to me. Killer lattes.”

Another wrote: “I’m so very sorry to hear this, Nick. I know how difficult a decision this must have been. I have loved every visit to the cafe and wish you all the best for the future.”

Customers ‘gutted’ by news of Red Robin Cafe closure

A new customer to the cafe said: “Gutted for you. We’re new customers but even then, we can see how missed you’ll be.

“Have really enjoyed the few times we managed to get in recently and have been loving the coffee at home too. All the best for whatever comes next.”

Another customer stressed Aberdeen would not be the same without the “lovely wee cafe.”

They wrote: “Absolutely gutted for you. You’ve done such an awesome job of creating something very special.

“Aberdeen will not be the same without your lovely wee cafe. I hope you are so very proud of what you’ve achieved. Thinking of you.”

Read our report from inside the cafe on its final day as emotional customers bid farewell 

Conversation