OWNERS of a former independent business on one of York’s most beloved streets are set to make a return to retailing in the city.

Less than two years after closing family-run York Glass on Shambles, owner John Hopkinson is planning a comeback to bricks and mortar in the city centre.

He said after a few years continuing to promote businesses online he was now ready to announce the re-opening.

John was nearing retirement in 2021 and had traded from Shambles for 15 years.

He said: “I came back because I miss it!

“I miss York and it’s a wonderful period of time for York business, the city in general and I genuinely enjoy retail.”

York Press: Other glass items are for sale along with the catsOther glass items are for sale along with the cats (Image: Kevin Glenton)

A new premises for York Lucky Cats will open after Christmas and although John was tight-lipped about a location, it will be central.

York Glass was thought to have been the longest continually-run retail operation on the famous cobbled street at the time of its closure.

Their handmade glass cats celebrated the role of the animal in the city’s own story and the luck associated with them down the centuries.


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The old shop would add a bit of theatre to retail by giving customers the opportunity to see how the process of their glass cats were made in-store, starting with a four-millimetre-thick metal rod and a torch which would reach temperatures up to 1,500 degrees.

Gravity would then take over to form the body before the legs, tail and then the rest of the cat’s features are added.

Using different parts of the flame begins the cooling process needed to stop the cat from cracking.

Before the shop opens its doors to sell a wide range of cat-related products for cat lovers, as well their range of ornamental glass cats, you will be able to find them at the following markets in York city centre:

October 12 - 22: Made in Yorkshire in Parliament Street

October 28: Halloween Night Market in Castle Museum

November 16 - December 10: York Christmas Market in Parliament Street

December 11 – 17: Made in Yorkshire Christmas Show in the Guildhall

York Lucky Cats’ website explains the long relationship between York and its feline friends, with statues placed on buildings to ward off vermin which were said to have carried the plague with them.

You may be able to catch a glimpse of more modern interpretations of the lucky residents of York life, in the modern-day city.