'Glittery fix' Claire's deal sparks wave of nostalgia among fans

News that half of the accessories retailer Claire's UK and Irish stores will be rescued from administration by the private equity firm that owns Hobbycraft has sparked a wave of nostalgia among those who grew up with the store.

- Jane Clinton Rachel Obordo

Modella Capital said yesterday it had bought 156 Claire's stores, securing the jobs of 1,000 employees for the immediate future, but warned some shop closures and job losses were "inevitable". A further 1,000 jobs remain at risk at the 145 Claire's stores it has not taken on.

The chain, which sells jewellery, accessories and ear-piercing services, has been struggling with falling sales and fierce competition and collapsed into administration last month.

While some shoppers criticised its dizzying amount of items and packed outlets, others recalled browsing the glittery offerings at Claire's with fondness.

Rebecca Kelly, 37, administrator, Gloucester

I would be so gutted if my local Claire's ended up closing. It's my happy place to go for retail therapy. If I feel low, I'll go there and buy something colourful, glittery or generally fabulous. It's a shop I've grown up loving and even now I still find things that I love to wear.

If my branch goes, that will disappear for me - it's not the same online. I love browsing in person and buying things I never would have looked for if I hadn't seen them there. A pair of earrings I bought there, which are like a little set of jailer keys and each tiny key is a different colour, get so many compliments.

I've been going to Claire's since I was 10. There was a blip in my teenage years when I thought I was too cool and wore band T-shirts and wouldn't wear anything colourful and certainly wouldn't be seen dead in there, but I soon realised that wasn't really me and went back to colour and glitter.