A town centre retailer fears his business is at risk due to empty shops and changing shopping habits.
Gareth Hughes, who runs Diversions, a specialist TV and movie gift shop in the Imperial Arcade in Huddersfield, says he could be forced to shut within weeks.
Empty and boarded-up shops in the arcade and nearby New Street and changing footfall is to blame.
Mr Hughes, who opened the shop 18 months ago with a £25,000 inheritance from his father, said not enough was being done to attract shoppers into the arcade.
“There are three or four empty shops at the bottom of the arcade and people don’t come up,” he said.
He also blamed the re-location of Kirklees College for diverting students away.
“The arcade used to be a cut through for the students but we’ve lost that footfall,” he said.
Mr Hughes, 45, who has been in retail for 20 years, said trade had fallen by around 40% since March.
Now, in a bid to save his business, Mr Hughes has turned to social media.
Customers on Facebook have inundated him with messages of support and he has had retweets on Twitter from comedian James Corden and Game of Thrones star Liam Cunningham to shopping guru Mary Portas and Dan Starkey, alias Strax the Sontaran from Doctor Who.
Mr Hughes, who staged a special event at the shop for the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who last year, also provides an outlet for local artists for commissioned work.
In a bid to clear the shop’s debts Mr Hughes, who lives in Scissett, has turned to the Kirkstarter funding website.
He has 30 days to raise £2,000 from customers and supporters.
“I am really passionate about my shop and my customers want it to be saved too,” said Mr Hughes.
“This is not about a shop asking other people to pay it’s debts, we are at the heart of the community. What we want is to clear our bills and put some money into new product lines so we can start again.”
Click here to visit Mr Hughes' Kickstarter page.
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