Time to close the doors, says Jim

By Nathan Johnston
HALLAM industrial estate stalwart Jim Buttress is closing his Adoorable Doors for the last time next month after 16 years in business.
Mr Buttress has been the goto man for tradespeople and the general public looking for specialised service in the door and fittings market.
He said he’ll miss Adoorable Doors, and expects his customers will miss him too when the doors are shut forever in late September.
“The tradesmen who wanted specific products will miss us because we often made recommendations on what they wanted or needed.
“Now they’ll be forced to go back to the people who don’t know how to handle the questions. You go to some places and ask simple questions and the staff go ducking for cover,” he said.
“We could answer every question and give the customer everything they needed.
“We deal with 30 different brands, and our independent dealings with the manufacturers and distributors mean that we know what’s the best product, and what improvements the manufacturers could do to their styles.”
He said he was now looking forward to spending more time with his wife Loretta and his family and travelling while he still can.
“(Closing the business) has happened for a combination of reasons, but health is a factor. I’ll probably be lucky to get to 70, so I want to make sure that I have enough time to smell the roses.
“It’s been a big part of my life, and yes, I will miss it. I’ve thought about reinventing myself, but not before a holiday. It’s long overdue.
“It’s the same for every small business operator. You make sure your staff take holidays, but you don’t look after yourself. Holidays for me have consisted of two or three days before Christmas and back just after New Year.”
He said he would not be completely finished with Adoorable Doors until December, despite moving out at the end of September.
“Obviously I’ll be caught with some stock, but I plan to clear that through the Trading Post, private sales and the local paper. It will all go towards the retirement fund.”
He said it was unlikely his Melverton Road premises would continue to operate in its present form.
“There were a couple people from the opposition who were thinking about taking over the premises, but nothing came of that.
“In the end I had a different offer which, subject to finance will go through, but the new tenant will have nothing to do with doors,” he said.