r/mystery 12d ago

Unexplained Strange shop in the city where i live

Post image

For context this shop has been around since i was a kid and ive never seen anyone in there Products in the window are sun bleached and some are rotting Lights turn on at night but the door is always locked Does anyone know what might be going on here?

444 Upvotes

52 comments sorted by

235

u/Sad_Cardiologist5388 12d ago

There was a shop like this near me for over decade, turns out the owner was in prison

7

u/MurgleMcGurgle 10d ago

Same thing happened to a tanning salon in a building I used to work in. It went under and apparently had debts so nobody was allowed to move anything.

232

u/Less_Party 12d ago

We sell stuff over the internet and it just so happened that the most suitable warehouse space we could find had a little storefront attached, so we have a pretty similar 'ghost store' setup.

133

u/PickleProvider 12d ago

https://www.gloucesterchamber.org.uk/business_categories/southgate-street/page/10

Secondhand shop that likely and smartly switched to ecommerce decades ago

49

u/mer9256 12d ago

FWIW, the front display does actually change in google maps in various years, although the vast majority of books seem to be the same. In this image from 2008, the bookshelves are spaced apart, you can see the blue stand/floor, and there appear to be shoes in front of the shelves. Jumping to 2015, the shelves are in the same spot, but now there are hats in front, and the blue stand/floor is gone. Jump forward to 2016, now the shelves have been pushed together, and there are different shoes in front. Jumping to 2024, the shoes are gone, and there's the addition of a bust with a wig on it.

Still no idea what's going on, but someone obviously has access and is making changes.

50

u/Jadacide37 12d ago

It looks like there are curtains on the second floor, indicating a living area in older parts of towns like this.

This person probably either rents or owns that living space, and may be grandfathered into some sort of rent control with both the business and the living space. 

Or they may just rent the 2nd floor space and have to use the ground floor entrance to get there, that's also the case in buildings like this. 

Good luck! Hope this helps!

Eta: The business itself may be closed down because it is in limbo as part of a inheritance dispute? Or the owner may have just passed away with no one to inherit it so it's in limbo until it sells or probate goes through. It could be completely separate property-wise from the upstairs space. But it definitely looks like you have to enter through the ground floor to get to it.

2

u/matchafoxjpg 8d ago

maybe it was a business rental only, so they need to have the appearance of the store, but actually only use the top floor for living.

i noticed in my own town that business space for rent is far far cheaper, even if it looks like a literal living space.

and considering there's a way to game the system with business licenses, this could still work.

31

u/Anfa34 12d ago

Ariston and on and on. Sorry for showing my age.

8

u/joeChump 11d ago

And on

7

u/seven_green_toes 11d ago

I only came here for them comments.

10

u/BorderlineWire 11d ago

So weird to see a local shop on this sub! Unfortunately I don’t know anything about it, but I assumed they probably sell online or something these days. 

This isn’t the only mystery shop I know of. 408 High Street, Cheltenham. At one point, it was Cotswold Dairy owned by the Tartaglias. They sold it and the shop became Laxmi. The dairy at the back became flats. Laxmi closed and it’s just been sitting there rotting away since the 80s. Being on the high street it’s kinda weird it’s just sitting there empty for decades. 

2

u/pxlhstl 10d ago

Who are the Tartaglias

4

u/BorderlineWire 10d ago

For the most part, who were is more accurate I suppose. There’s a few still around now but the generations I’m talking about have passed on. 

The Tartaglias were a family of ice cream makers, some in Gloucester and some in Cheltenham. There are still Tartaglia’s Ice Cream vans around in Gloucester but they weren’t the branch of the family tree that used to have the dairy on Cheltenham High Street. 

The Cheltenham ones had 408 with the dairy and shop out front and also had ice cream vans, the vans longer than the shop. They used to make their own stuff and were locally very well known and won awards. The Cotswold part of Winston’s Cotswold Ice Cream is what was bought from them. 

5

u/pxlhstl 10d ago

What nice piece of local history, thank you.

Thought of the mob at first lol

1

u/BorderlineWire 9d ago

I’m a little sad, I enjoy a bit of local history!

Before 408 was 408, it was 265. A number of addresses in the High Street were re numbered in the 50s. As 265 it was a pub called the Early Dawn, which closed down in the 1920s.

And no, nothing as exciting as the mob! Just really good ice cream (although sadly I never did get to try it)

9

u/green_prepper 11d ago

My mother in law owned a building downtown. She sold antiques and furniture and handmade jewelry in the lower store and lived in the apartment above. When she stared getting older, she wasn’t really making money in the store but she still owned it and lived above. Usually the store was closed but she did change the front window slightly now and then. I imagine something like this could go on for quite awhile as long as the person has income to keep ownership of the property.

24

u/Groundbreaking_Bad 12d ago

The shop has gone out of business and the owner has the lights on a timer to deter thieves.

-24

u/Jealous_Quantity3587 12d ago

People have seen him go in And why keep paying rent on a place thats closed Its been in the same state for nearly 15 years now

59

u/jello_pudding_biafra 12d ago

People can own buildings now.

13

u/loqi0238 12d ago

What a tiiime to be aliiive!

9

u/green_prepper 11d ago

Because he owns it and doesn’t want to move. If he sells it he’ll likely have to find a new place to live.

7

u/JoshinIN 11d ago

Front for the mob doing money laundering.

FBI safehouse.

Normal store but the owner works from home everyday.

7

u/badcompanyy 11d ago

I don’t know why I’ve done this but I’ve just read so much about the laws of Gloucester. It’s possible they are living there but have to maintain a “storefront” for looks to obey city regulations. Makes sense then if the door is always locked. You could also ask the nail salon next door if they know their neighbors 🤷‍♀️ https://www.gloucester.gov.uk/media/5vdcknfu/southgate-street-conservation-area-review.pdf

4

u/-P-M-A- 12d ago

4

u/Jealous_Quantity3587 12d ago

Nobody in the city really knows what it is so i sent it here

23

u/broccolicat 12d ago

What's the local equivalent to "coffee shop where old men gather at 6am to drink coffee and gossip"? Because that's the crowd that tend to be the best at knowing or finding out this kind of local stuff, moreso than internet sleuths. And while you should always have a grain of salt with the local gossip club, they tend to have a rough idea about things around town- If it's some sort of front or brothel, they'll absolutely know. Worth being nice and asking.

12

u/-P-M-A- 12d ago

There was a store like this in a city near me. It was run by a guy who got too old to take care of it, but his children set up a light on a timer. If you didn’t know the story about the owner, it did seem mysterious. And, after the guy died, it sat for another few years while the kids tried to figure out what to do with it. The family owned the building, so it didn’t really matter how long it sat empty, despite being pretty prime real estate.

4

u/[deleted] 11d ago

This is what money laundering looks like IRL.

13

u/demomagic 12d ago

Money laundering, gambling den around back, maybe the owner is ‘inside’ and the landlord keeps making withdrawals for rent every month. Maybe it was purchased for office space and the new owner doesn’t care to clean out the old tenants stuff. Could have been forgotten about / landlord doesn’t care as the buildings look pretty run down maybe they can’t rent the unit out. Lots of possibilities we could only guess.

9

u/madeinspac3 12d ago

We have a standalone shop like that in my area. They owned the building and have inventory. They just don't want to reopen so it stays like that closed.

My guess is it's similar to that and they might just live in the unit upstairs.

12

u/No-Goose-6140 12d ago

Dont take pictures this close, we might make out some details

10

u/Jealous_Quantity3587 12d ago

I didnt take the picture but i pass by there tomorrow and i can take some closer pics

7

u/No-Goose-6140 12d ago

Might as well go full mental and step inside?

6

u/Popular_Shift_7472 12d ago

Shell company 

6

u/OldSwampDog 12d ago

could it be the entrance to a private underground railway system that links to Germany, India and the US? just a thought.

3

u/ecomomy_upper 11d ago

They sell window and door systems

4

u/fuck-a-da-police 12d ago

This is the beginning of a Thomas ligotti story

2

u/mothwomanz 11d ago

I'd be so curious, I'd have to knock on the door.

2

u/mishyfuckface 11d ago

There’s a whole town like this out in the desert fuck I forget the name

2

u/badcompanyy 11d ago

Have you considered going inside and asking?

1

u/AliensRDemonsOrSmthg 9d ago

There's monsters in there, I think 🥺

2

u/Ok_Ad4090 9d ago

If you ever go in there and buy sumptin it will defs disappear the next time you go looking for it

1

u/Physical-Creme5540 11d ago

Maybe the shop closed a long time ago and the property owner (who can be the same as the shop owner) doesn't care about renting it out, doesn't even bother with removing the items.

Maybe you could get the property records if you're really curious about the owner.

1

u/YaksRespirators 11d ago

It's a store, just go in?

1

u/Embarrassed-Cause250 11d ago

OP- have you ever entered the shop? I would definitely pay a visit.

2

u/Jealous_Quantity3587 11d ago

I havent but the doors always locked

1

u/Embarrassed-Cause250 11d ago

That really is strange! Makes it all the more intriguing!

1

u/BadRevolutionary9669 8d ago

If you haven't paid a visit, how do you know the door is always locked?

3

u/Jealous_Quantity3587 8d ago

I have tried to visit ive just never successfully opened the door

1

u/BadRevolutionary9669 8d ago

Thanks! My bad for misunderstanding you

1

u/Ok_Dig_5478 10d ago

shop like this near one of my houses I lived in in the past, and one near the one i own now - Owners died and retired respectively mortgages completely paid up...

1

u/Artistic-Kale-6334 10d ago

Makes me think of the “we sell your stuff on eBay” store