A business owner who ran a much-loved heritage centre, cafe and events venue has revealed customers flooded his business on the last day in tears over its closure. Chris Canaan, founder of Akamba Heritage Centre in Shirley, told BirminghamLive people descended from across the country to share their upset at his decision to close the Solihull business.
Chris founded the centre, described as a slice of “African paradise” in 2002. It initially ran from a site on Acocks Green before moving to Shirley in 2005. Such was the emotive reaction to his closure, Chris joked that he “thought he was dead.”
The venue had its own beach, bars and restaurant, a jungle-themed garden centre and gift shop, and was popular for weddings and funerals. Chris said his decision to close his shop, near Whitlocks End railway station, on October 6 was as a result of looming housing plans and booking cancellations as a result of that.
READ MORE: ‘Big loss for area’ as Shirley’s ‘secret slice of Africa’ to close down
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“People were crying, a bit upset, it was unbelievable. We have done a lot of funerals and weddings. People have grown up, brought up kids [here], saying ‘we met at Akamba’ said Chris.
“People said it was a big loss. It was unexpected that sort of reaction. I really did my best for the community. I started from ground zero, there was nothing there whatsoever.”
Chris, who is also a fashion designer and runs a charity initiative to feed children in Kenya, said it was plans for nearby development that pushed him to close Akamba. The plans, for up to 450 homes with a care or retirement home on land close to Tythe Barn Lane are due to be decided by Solihull Council’s planning committee after it passed consultation in June 2024.
Akamba employed around 20 people, and was also a centre for education, with Chris explaining they even had Maasai warriors from Kenya visit for a demonstration. He explained: “It was the only one in the country it was amazing. People came from all over the country on the last weekend I thought I was dead!”
Chris also set up Akamba Children’s Education Fund (ACEF), the funds of which were used to support children slums in Nairobi in Kenya by contributing to their food and education. The Akamba centre was integral to this, but he confirmed the charity arm will continue, something he is currently working on.
“That place was helping to feed kids I will have to try and find alternative ways to do that. It is just very sad.” On his decision to shut up shop, Chris said that people didn’t want to book wedding plans for fear it would be cancelled due to ongoing development plans. “I could not live like that anymore with development plans.
“It was amazing, people are genuinely angry with the situation, it was a heritage centre. [The closure] really hurt me I cried and cried and the way things are in the UK, the government does not help us. There is no mercy for businesses.”
However he remains “very busy” as he works out his next move: “I am a very creative person I am a sculptor, I still want to do things.”
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