Three months since announcing The Emporium in Maldon High Street was set to close, owners Mary and Graham Powell have revealed their plans for its future.

Both aged 73, the couple had planned to retire after 30 years serving the people of Maldon and further afield. However, The Emporium could live on in a new form.

Thanks to the outpouring of support following news of The Emporium's closure, and the absence of any "serious inquiries from traditional retailers", the shop's half-price sale has lasted a lot longer than expected.

"We'd really like to thank our customers for their support - it's been fantastic," Mary told Nub News.

"We had every intention of closing down, but we just haven't been able to."

Neither of them suspected the sale would last as long as it has, but Mary jokingly blames Graham's "poor stock management".

This week, the couple stumbled across items with the original 'Powell Bros' labels from 30 years ago. (Photo: Mary Powell)

Graham said: "We're basically moving from a 'closing down' sale to a 'slowing down' clearance sale."

The couple says an indoor market scheme now appears to be the way forward, with them occupying a reduced area to sell clearance lines.

Specsavers, the expected anchor tenant, pulled out of their deal on the day that The Emporium's closing down sale started. Since then, no serious rental enquiries from traditional retailers have been received.

Graham Powell pictured with long-serving shop assistant Debbie. (Photos: Ben Shahrabi)

The couple plans to wait until the end of this year for an applicant to express an interest. If nothing materialises, they will begin preparations to convert the store into several single units for smaller businesses or start-ups. They say the idea of an indoor market has proven popular with the public, and they will watch the return of Maldon Market to Butt Lane Car Park in October "with interest".

Local businesspeople have already expressed an interest in renting small units. An official enquiry form for potential tenants will be available soon, to gauge interest in an indoor market scheme.

Graham and Mary are still looking for a new tenant and are prepared to leave as soon as a reasonable offer is made. Otherwise, they will continue trading until the store is converted into an indoor market. (Photo: Ben Shahrabi)

Meanwhile, Mary and Graham are prepared to continue trading using the large job lot stocks still available to them. The couple is confident they can offer "several more months of exceptional bargains" to their customers.

Graham concluded: "While our retirement date may be put back again, we believe it's in everyone's interest for the store to remain operational rather than left as an empty shell."

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