Shop owner serves last cupcakes to customers before it closes

Charlotte Allen and her family opened Lottie’s Bakeaway in Stert Street early in 2023 and since then has been selling boxes of cupcakes and serving drinks to customers in the cafe at the back of the shop.

But the cost of living reduced the number of customers and the owner decided to spend more time with her family – her partner Kevin and two sons Riley, 14, and Louie, eight.

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It was the last day’s trading on Saturday, and Ms Allen posted on the shop’s Facebook page at the end of the day: “The end of an era – I’m an emotional wreck but thank you so much to everyone who came to say goodbye today.

“For all the kind words, hugs, cards and presents! I’ve cried a lot but am excited for the next chapter.”

Cupcakes for sale (Image: Lottie’s Bakeaway)

Ms Allen will continue to run the business, supplying cakes to farm shops in the area, including one in the village of Sunningwell.

The closure of Lottie’s Bakeaway will leave two neighbouring empty units in Stert Street as it is next door to a former stationery shop.

Price’s Stationers announced it was to close after 31 years at the end of 2021, and the unit has remained unoccupied since.

The Finishing Touch in Stert Street, a boutique selling jewellery and gifts, has also announced it is expected to close this month after 23 years in the town.

Stert Street was given a boost when Jill Carver’s Added Ingredients, a popular deli which closed in 2022, returned in November 2025.

Cay Khe, a Vietnamese cafe and noodle bar, opened in the street last year.

The street is also the home of a long serving Oxfam shop and Mostly Books, which recently celebrated its 20th birthday.