But several business have recently closed their doors, some for good, due to the increasing pressures of the cost of living crisis or as the owners move on to new ventures.
From a popular Horsforth bar to high street staples including Jack Wills and Paperchase, here are 12 Leeds businesses we have loved and lost this spring.
1. The businesses we've lost this spring
These Leeds businesses have recently closed down Photo: National World
2. Chophaus
Upmarket Leeds steakhouse and grill Chophaus issued a brief statement on March 2 to announce it was closed 'until further notice'. The Oakwood restaurant is now being marketed as a business by agents Ernest Wilson. The £300,000 sale is for the lease, fixtures and fittings. Chophaus, opened in 2019, occupied a prominent building next to Oakwood Clock, but according to the agents, ‘never quite recovered from the disruption of the pandemic’. Photo: Jonathan Gawthorpe
3. Cafe 164
Cafe 164 in Headingley announced its sudden closure on March 31 due to 'unrelenting rising costs', leaving its customers devastated. The Headingley branch opened in 2020 and became the main base for the business last summer, after owners Ellie and Matt Andrews closed their city centre branch, which had been trading for more than a decade. The team thanked the Headingley community for its support over the last three years. Photo: Google
4. Ecotopia
The co-founder of zero waste retailer Ecotopia said an emotional farewell to customers as its Leeds city centre shop closed with immediate effect on April 4. Specialising in whole foods and eco-friendly produce, the business was set up by twin sisters Michelle Arthur and Sam Newton. Their second Ecotopia shop in Bramley shopping centre and website remain open. Photo: Simon Hulme
5. Paperchase
As part of the stationery chain's national closures, the Paperchase shop in Commercial Street is now permanently closed. Paperchase fell into administration earlier this year following rising costs and disappointing sales following the Covid-19 pandemic. While Tesco managed to purchase the intellectual property of the retail brand, Paperchase stores across the country were not part of the deal and have all shut down. Photo: National World
6. Defiance Donuts/King Koby Leeds
Defiance Donuts shared a retail unit with barber shop King Koby in the Central Arcade, which is now listed as permanently closed on Google. But it's not the end for the 100% vegan donut business, which has teased on its Instagram that it's 'relaunching soon'. Photo: National World