I have opened a gothic gift shop in Blackpool after Manchester Arena bombing made me reassess my life choices

Colin Robinson has just opened the new Gothica Dark and Light Limited gift shop in Blackpool, which he started to further his hobbies and to be closer to his family, who also live in Blackpool.

Mr Robinson, who previously worked in security, decided to pursue his dream after almost agreeing to at Manchester Arena when it was attacked in 2017.

Mr Robinson said: “I have always been into rock music I used to do security at big music festivals like Download and places like Manchester arena, and a little bit of a backstory, I had to come out of that because I was almost involved in the bombing at Manchester arena, I should have been working that night.

“Last minute, I took the night off. I had decided that I would not go to work that night, and friends were messaging me. Are you okay? and I didn’t know what was happening. When I found out what was happening, I texted my friends to see if they were okay,

“I count myself lucky. I still keep in contact with my old colleagues, that night changed a lot for me.”

The shop in Blackpool has only been open at its Clifton Street location for a week but has already received positive reviews from customers who have been comparing it to Afflecks in Manchester.

Afflecks is another market-type place similar to Abingdon Market in Blackpool, with lots of different stalls for the items that Mr Robinson is now selling under one roof right here in Blackpool. Mr Robinson said that this meant a lot to him.

Mr Robinson said: “I used to work away a lot at places like the arena, places like Creamfields music festival. I used to be at home for 2 or 3 weeks. I used to go from one venue to another, travelling all across the country, even right up to the highlands of Scotland, for music events.

“That incident made me realise that life was too short at the time. I was 40 years old, and spending time with my family, especially having young children, was more important than putting my life at risk at an incident like that; I could have gone to work that night and may never have gone home again.

“Now that I am leaving that job, I have all that experience in customer service. When I was driving coaches, I used to go all over the UK and Europe. Now, it's time for me to spend more time with my young children. My youngest is coming up to three years old. With the backing of most of my family, my mum, dad, and sisters have all been very helpful in getting me set up as quickly as I have.”

Gothica Dark and Light Limited sells various items, including merchandise for multiple bands, including ACDC and Iron Maiden, among others. Tankards, wallets, purses, figurines from official merchandisers such as The Witcher, and characters from various Netflix and Disney Plus shows. Skulls, fairies, incense oils, incense sticks, art by Anne Stokes and Lisa Parker, and much more.

Mr Robinson plans to have a tarot card reader in the shop full time in the near future. He hopes that having this shop will attract goth and metal music fans back to Blackpool, as he was filling a hole in the market.