York Ghost Merchants opens new store in St Anthony's Gardens

York Ghost Merchants has opened a new space, The Ghost Dispensary, in St Anthony's Gardens, off Peasholme Green.

The dispensary has opened in a bid to help manage the queue outside its flagship Shambles store which has continued to grow since the shop opened in 2019. 

The merchants sell tiny handmade ghost figures which are made in York and draw customers from all over the world.

York Ghost Merchants' ghosts (Image: Charlotte Graham)

They have become a viral hit on social media platform TikTok, with videos by visitors to the business gathering millions of views.

Angus McArthur, one of the owners of York Ghost Merchants, said the new shop opened on July 22 to provide a solution to the long queues outside the Shambles store.

@mill_20_ Adopting a ghost in york📍 #york #yorkghostmerchants #ghosts #shop #theshambles #foryou #uktravel #ghoststories #yorkghostshop #christmaspresents @yorkghostmerchants ♬ Sky Aesthetic - Tollan Kim

He said customers can sometimes queue for up to two-and-a-half hours which proves problematic if they have plans elsewhere in the city that day.

“We realised last year in Ghost Week that our queue problems were causing some stress for staff,” he said.

“We planned to do something about it.

“We wanted something off the beaten track.”

The Ghost Dispensary in St Anthonys garden (Image: Dylan Connell)

Now, when the queue at the Shambles is too long customers can take a short walk to the dispensary instead.

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Although the stock and idea behind the shops are the same, the settings they are in could not be more different.

Miss Ambrose at the new dispensary (Image: Dylan Connell)

“The Shambles is a magical space, a beautiful space – but also a small place,” said Angus.

“Some people don’t like the queues and the hustle and bustle.

“St Anthony's Gardens is a small, quiet space – you can hear bird song.”

St Anthonys garden next to the store (Image: Dylan Connell)

Angus explained how this was intentional to make the business suit all its customers and was not financially motivated.

He said the opening hours of the dispensary will be at the discretion off staff, depending on how busy the Shambles store is. 

Inside The Ghost Dispensary (Image: Dylan Connell)

On busy days it will open shortly after the flagship store does at 10am and some days it won't open at all. 

Staff will be on hand in the Shambles to provide guidance to customers and hand out maps showing how to get to the dispensary.

In a statement on Instagram, the York Ghost Merchants said the dispensary will stock a reduced selection from its range of original and little York ghosts as well as phantoms and a small selection of polished ghosts.

“Rare and unusual ghosts will not be available unless we announce otherwise in advance,” it said.

Customers queue for the new dispensary (Image: Dylan Connell)

The statement continues: “Please note that we take card payment only at the dispensary and no cash is kept on the premises.

“We kindly ask that you respect the other users of the garden if you visit. We look forward to welcoming you to The Ghost Dispensary.”

The entrance to the dispensary off Peasholme Green (Image: Dylan Connell)