22/08/2026
Why you might not see our beautiful goodies outside the shop for a while 💔
Today, Newton Abbot town was sadly terrorised by an individual who is clearly struggling and, in my opinion, desperately needs help.
So many emotions have gone through my head today. Firstly, I genuinely hope they get the help and support they clearly need. But at the same time, I can’t help but ask why someone has been allowed to go around the town for some time now, stealing from shops, damaging property and products, and behaving in a way that can be extremely volatile towards other people.
Today, they picked up and threw one of our beautiful flower teapots, smashing it. They then walked straight past my neighbour and smashed a big glass item outside her shop too. There was no hesitation or even slowing down — just damage caused and then walking away. There was no regard for anyone else’s safety, the street was very busy including children outside of Holly’s shop. It caused so much broken glass and ceramics to scatter all over the street outside.
Everyone on Bank Street was there helping to clean up, assisting with logging what had happened with the police, and contacting security. It really reminded me that we are more than just a street of independent businesses — we’re a little Street Family.
As a small independent business, we simply cannot afford to keep replacing broken stock. So, sadly, for the foreseeable future, our beautiful breakable goodies will no longer be displayed outside the shop. And that really does make me sad because our outside displays are such a big part of what makes Yellow Umbrella Gifts so special. 💛
I’m not angry at someone who is clearly struggling. I’m saddened that they seem to have reached a point where this behaviour is happening repeatedly, and that somewhere along the line, the support they need isn’t reaching them.
Please continue to support your local independent businesses. Every broken item has a real impact when you’re a small business, and we simply can’t absorb losses like this.
🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻
