Ten Thousand Paces is set to trade for the final day on Thursday, January 25. 

Owner of the space, Hamish Ta-Me, said the experience of setting up the shop had been “amazing”, but he could no longer afford to “just break-even” in light of high rental prices. 

“It’s a shame to close down, but it is what it is,” he said. 

“We’ve been incredibly successful on one level, and on another level… well I think it’s a slightly niche product for a reasonably small regional town.”

“But we’ve launched a new art exhibition every two weeks for three and a half years… that’s more than 70 exhibitions – that means artists who have been able to build their exposure and gain momentum in their careers.”

But Ta-Me said the concept of Ten Thousand Paces was not dead yet.

“We will be online, and I’ll also be doing pop-ups around the Highlands,” he said. 

“I’m also going to offer catering of specialty wines for events, like weddings.”

“It’ll be kind of like a ‘floating ten thousand paces’.”

There will be a “very casual” farewell event after close of business on the Thursday, January 25, from 5pm, where anyone with a connection or interest in the space is invited to have a drink and some nibbles.