THE shutters may have come down on second-hand furniture store Top Drawer but the lights are still on and staff are still serving customers.

The not-for-profit business, based in Sussex Square, Walcot, sells second-hand furniture to some of the town’s neediest people, and also takes part in the council’s voucher scheme, helping to refurnish homes of those on the lowest incomes.

Rumours had began to circulate that the popular independent store had shut up shop for the final time, with both of the units in the square no longer open for business.

Now, Stephen Pickering, who leads the volunteers at Top Drawer, has confirmed that the business will continue to operate.

He said: “We are not actually closed. We have closed both the shops in the square itself but we are still open in the Common Room around the corner in Somerville Road.

“We have closed the shutters on the shops and we’ve had to stop operating out of them because it’s no longer viable.

“There have also been a number of problems on the square which have just made running it difficult.

“We did try and inform as many people as possible about what was happening, that we weren’t closing down completely, and we put messages on Facebook and on the front of the shop but I can understand why some people might think that we have closed.”

In March last year, Swindon Council agreed that the project could stay in Sussex Square, rent free, until the shop is demolished as part of plans to rejuvenate the centre.

Earlier in the year, Stonham Housing Association stopped funding the Walcot-based upcycle furniture store because it could no longer afford the rent.

Top Drawer then established itself as its own not-for profit business and has continued to serve the community.

Stephen said: “We might not be selling as much but we’re certainly of more use in the community than when Stonham was operating Top Drawer.

“We’re heavily involved in supporting the community and obviously we’ll keep going for as long as we possible can. The whole square is gradually closing down, just because of the impending demolition.

“It’s very, very sad to see but I don’t think it can be helped really.

“But we’ll still be running to the best we can until the bitter end.”

In recent months Sussex Square has been the at the centre of numberous anti-social behavioural problems, including smashed windows and intimidating groups of youths, which resulted in police enforcing a dispersal order on the square.

“It’s not so much the youths but the older ones, who come and hang around the liquor store. That’s the real problem,” said Stephen.

“The youths are actually ok, and they’ve received too much of the blame in recent months.”