24 Nov 2025
A much-loved fixture of the St Albans retail scene is closing for good after almost nine years.
Cositas Home on Holywell Hill has seen revenues plummet to 10 times less than they were a year ago, resulting in owner Emma Bustamante deciding to call it a day and close the store before Christmas.
“Closing Cositas after nearly nine years has been one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make. The shop has been such a big part of my life, my family’s life, and the community. It’s been my passion and my pride, but this last year has been incredibly difficult.
“Despite trying everything, and juggling rising costs in every direction, trying to keep the business going has taken a real toll. I feel comfortable to leave because I feel I haven’t left a stone unturned, but our figures are 10 times less monthly than they were this time last year.
“I don’t know what customers want any more. People say, ‘oh you’re a bit out of the way’, but we weren’t five years ago, we weren’t one year ago.
“We’ve always worked month to month, and our spending was determined by how much money we took, but last September I said to [former shop worker] Sally, ‘there isn’t enough money to pay you’.
“Usually if this has happened before we just stop buying for a month and the bank account goes up. But sales just didn’t pick up, so she had to get another job. I was here by myself, running the shop and the website, and I couldn’t do everything, so the website had to go.
“Then three months ago a friend asked me, ‘how’s work going?’ and I had to say, ‘I feel suffocated by it, I feel claustrophobic’. I’ve been ill with a chest infection for the last 14 weeks, and that has made me less resilient I guess, but I just feel like I don’t know what else to do. I need to prioritise my wellbeing as well as my family, so while it wasn’t a decision made lightly, it was the right one.”
In a desperate bid to bring in extra business, she brought in pre-loved clothes, only to end up with elderly customers who weren’t her target audience and thought it was a charity shop.
“People couldn’t get their heads around it, and I ended up alienating people. So I got rid of the pre-loved six months ago and won our target audience back, but the sales just didn’t pick up.”
Back in February, the St Albans Times highlighted the crisis faced by Cositas in our editorial column, and Sue Wyebrow of the St Albans Business Community jumped in to help as well, which gave the shop a short-lived boost from local customers.
“That sense of community was just so nice, and without that we wouldn’t have lasted this long. But the trouble now is even if I had a good month it wouldn’t be enough to save us.”
Things became so bad that Emma sold her house and downsized to pay off business loans and clear her debts, but even this made no impact.
“Being a single income family has given me no leeway. I don’t have anything to fall back on, so the shop has to provide and it has to provide properly.
“So I’m hoping to close before Christmas and have two weeks with the family, and then look for something locally, because I want to remain in the community.”
Despite the sadness of the occasion, Emma wanted to look back positively on the past nine years and everyone who has supported her over this period.
She became a well-known name in interiors locally, with TV appearances including a judging slot on BBC’s Best House in Town, and has fond memories of her time running the shop.
“I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has supported Cositas over the years: customers, makers, other small businesses, and the people who just popped in for a chat. I’ve loved bringing beautiful and joyful things into people’s homes.
“I also want to thank our landlords at the Cathedral, who have been incredibly supportive and understanding. And the kindness and support I’ve had from other local businesses like The St Albans Times and The Business Community has meant more than they probably realise, especially over the last few months.
“Although Cositas is closing, I’m leaving with so much gratitude for what we built together. I’m looking forward to what comes next, and I’ll always feel proud of the joy Cositas brought to people whether that was chatting in the shop, collaborating, attending and running workshops.”
