A much-loved seaside shop in one of Britain’s most iconic coastal towns is closing down after nearly 70 years. Whitby Glass, on Sandgate Street, has announced it will stop trading on Friday, June 20, bringing an end to a tradition that’s been part of countless family holidays since the 1950s.
The shop became famous for its colourful glass “Lucky Ducks” – small, hand-made ornaments that have become a Whitby tradition and found homes around the world. According to TeessideLive, the shop was founded by Peter Rantell in the late 1950s after he moved to Whitby from Scotland. He originally made the glass ducks as good luck charms for local actors, but they soon became a must-have souvenir for anyone visiting the town.
The shop was later run by former councillor and Mayor of Whitby, Dorothy Clegg (widow of the late Whitby Glass director, Alan Clegg), who died in April, aged 93.
And now a notice in the window has revealed the shop’s final trading day.
It reads: “Whitby Glass will be trading until Friday, June 20. We would like to thank you all for your custom over the last 68 years. This is a very sad time.”
News of the closure has sparked an emotional reaction from customers, with many sharing fond memories online.
One woman said: “Absolutely my favourite shop as a child, getting lifted up by Dad to see the ducks.”
Another added: “So sad. I was hoping to visit later in the year to collect another lucky duck. It is a Whitby tradition. It will be sorely missed.”
A third commented: “Noooooooo! This shop is a massive part of my childhood, my children’s and my grandchildren’s. This is heartbreaking.”
Someone else said: “I was in the shop last week talking to the lady who made the little ducks for our daughters about 31 years ago. Lovely people and their ducks will live on.”
Another said simply: “Whitby is a special place and this shop has always been the icing on the cake.”
Others remembered visiting over decades. “Have been in this shop every year since the 70s. Brings back fond memories of when I was a child with my mum and marmar. I still have my little duck,” one visitor said.
“I’ve been making the Lucky Duck pilgrimage since the mid 1970s. Still have my duck from about 1975,” another added.
One woman wrote: “How sad. I’ve got a duck every time I’ve been for the last almost 40 years.”
