Inside The Finishing Touch today, it was cool and calm: past the sky-blue boat and fish ornaments, beneath colourful open umbrellas, through fragrance, jewellery, candles and handbags. The shop has colour-themed displays that at Christmas become a wonderland.

Now, after 23 years on Stert Street, the owners have announced that the shop will close at the end of July. The owner is ‘retiring’, while her daughter is moving on to ‘a new adventure.’

The news brought a response from passers by, with one describing it as one of Abingdon’s best independent shops. They remembered the Christmas displays, wrapped presents, window displays, and a place to go to for gifts for friends and family.

Its closure will be a loss for Abingdon town centre. In the meantime, there’s 25% off full-priced items. Before it closes, there’s still time for a final finishing touch.

The future of the Abbey Cinema in Abingdon town centre has been secured with the cinema operators purchasing the freehold of Abbey Hall from Abingdon-on-Thames Town Council.

The Town Council says the sale fulfils its commitment to retain a cinema in the town centre while saving the council the cost of maintaining the building. Maintenance costs had been estimated at between £2.5m and £3m.

For the Abbey Cinema company, led by Sue and Ian Wiper, the purchase brings certainty after operating on a series of short leases since opening in 2018. They have also restored and reopened and still run the Regal cinema in Evesham.

The change allows other projects to happen. Planned improvements include better disabled access, changes to separate the cinema from the Guildhall, improvements to the building’s appearance, and the creation of a second, smaller screen.

The cinema also hosts charity events, school projects, talks, and special screenings.

The Town Council says the deal will benefit the neighbouring Guildhall as it will access a new kitchen.

The sale involved complex legal arrangements due to conditions attached when the Town Council acquired the building from the district council, including covenants and protections covering future use of the site.

At Added Ingredients, Jill continues to sell wines and food products, including these local honeys.

In the other half of the shop, Martin sells his photographs and has a growing range of second-hand cameras, lenses, and other photographic equipment. He says there is renewed interest in film cameras from people wanting to return to more authentic photography – pre-digital manipulation, and pre-AI.

Martin is also taking pre-orders for his Abingdon jigsaw puzzle.

A new butchers shop looks set to open at 3 Bath Street in Abingdon. Signage has appeared for a traditional butchers, with the frontage currently covered while work continues to configure the shop inside.

The shop front was previously home to a catering and sandwich business. Recent social media updates from the business say it continues to operate from the address, but now from a dedicated kitchen space within part of the building rather than the front shop.

Abingdon has not had a dedicated butchers shop since Hedges Butchers relocated in 2022.