This Blog reported 4 years ago that Hathaways had closed, and back in April showed scaffolding going up round the old baccy shop. Hathaways was the shop on the High Street that sold smoking paraphernalia and souvenirs.
Since then the interior, the back and the roof have been rebuilt and the scaffolding removed.
A little bit of Hathaways still lives on in another shop in Abingdon. The walking sticks, and tobacco pipes were taken over by E R Goffs after Hathaways closed.
There are also a range of bubble pipes and colourful baccy tins. As well as its core newsagency business Goffs tries to fill gaps in the Abingdon market in an enterprising way. For example, they are also a Western Union agency for people who need to send money abroad.
Mrs Goff still owns the freehold, and visited recently for the first time in a while, and was shown a display of improvements since the current lease holders took over. It is part of the lease conditions, I believe, that the name Goff stays above the door.
