A long-serving shopkeeper says he is shutting up after almost 50 years as rising bills mean the business is “only paying pocket money”.

The decision by the boss of beloved family-run food shop Harvest Health Foods in Ramsgate has shocked customers.

Set up in 1978 by a then 21-year-old Neal Price, the father-of-two says the time has now come to call it a day on running the Queen Street shop.

Selling a variety of vitamin supplements and herbal remedies, Harvest has been a mainstay wellness retailer in Ramsgate since Mr Neal decided to “soak up” as much knowledge as he could when starting the business.

However, he acknowledges too many obstacles are now preventing the shop, which also offers vegan, organic, soya-free products and popular jam and honey preserves, from continuing.

When asked why he has made the decision to close, Mr Price replied: “It’s partly a case of retirement.

“But it’s also the state of the town to be honest and the lack of footfall.

“All of these things have just made business unviable now.

“We’re coming to the end of our lease too so it does appear a natural time to go."

Yet despite the shop now entering its final chapter ahead of its closure on September 14, he insists he is proud of what he has created for residents in the district.

“I think it is a very sad state of affairs for most town centres at the minute and their businesses, but especially on the coast," added Mr Neal.

“Our original intention was to keep running for another six years.

“But with the shop only paying pocket money, it just isn’t viable with energy costs going up three-fold [in the last few years] it means you’re just working to pay the bills.

"So it's a sign of the times, but of course quite an achievement what we’ve done."

Mr Price has been running Harvest alongside his wife of 40 years, Fleur.

Married in 1984, the two suffered arguably their toughest moment when, in 2017, Neal was involved in a cycling accident which left him with a life-threatening spinal cord injury and unable to walk.

Although Fleur and the couple's family took up the reigns in the years afterwards, the now 67-year-old admits it has become a struggle to keep it going.

“Unfortunately I had an accident seven years ago and since then I’ve been in a wheelchair," he added.

“So life is not easy for me anyway and that’s made it a sort of natural progression.

“I have improved quite a lot but I’m still unable to walk.

“But I’ve been at the helm since it started - Fleur was largely in the background until my accident which meant she came right to the fore.

“I have two daughters who help out from time to time too but of course they have their own lives."

Mr Price says starting the business in his early 20s meant he had no choice but to learn the ropes as he progressed.

He explained: “I have a very wide knowledge.

“As far as opening, it really was luck [as] I knew very little about the health food trade.

“I was like a sponge, soaking up all the information - which is vast - and having the ability to communicate with customers and pass on my knowledge."

Harvest’s departure has also brought a lot of disappointment among its customers.

Effra Wells said: "That's such sad news. You've been a great asset and resource to the town."

Another, Carol Adams, claimed the news marked the "end of an era" for Ramsgate.