It’s not goodbye, Common Circus is evolving: what’s next for the much-loved local brand

There’s a particular kind of quiet that falls over a neighbourhood when a much-loved small business closes its doors. Not just because it’s gone, but because of what it stood for, and brought to the community. 

Since 2021, Common Circus has been one of those places in Hamilton: part retail haven, part cafe, part community living room.

Now with the venue set to close on Sunday, March 8, Common Circus founder, Lauren Henry, spoke to us about the reasons, which she wasn’t keen to dwell on. If you want to read more, check the Insta post explainer.

Owner of Common Circus Lauren Henry

“I’m not scared to talk about anything I’ve already said. I’ve just processed the majority of it behind closed doors.”

What she does want to talk about is the future, because Common Circus isn’t going anywhere.

“We are still successful. We’re not going anywhere,” Lauren says. “That’s what’s important.”

When Lauren was first made aware of a significant rental increase in November 2025, negotiations were pushed into the new year - December - which coincided with the most intense time of year.

“December’s wild. Obviously the cafe is busy. orders are coming in, events are in full swing, online’s happening, and a big part of my job is to come in and be like, ‘this is crazy, but we’re okay.”

However, behind that calm was a lot of strain.

“When the realisation hit I wanted to run away,” Lauren says. “My husband had his arm around me and I just had a shooting pain across my neck and back. I think it was the stress of feeling like I was letting so many people down.”

By January, Lauren knew a bigger decision had to be made, one that protected the long-term future of the business, her team, and her own wellbeing.

“Regardless of numbers, I didn’t understand how I could personally or morally work with someone who could treat me like that, and potentially be vulnerable to the same treatment again.”

“Once the decision was made, everything happened quickly. It’s kind of a blur to be honest.”

“I made the decision on a Monday, looked at a warehouse on Tuesday, applied for it Wednesday, got it Thursday, then told my team the following Tuesday,”

What’s the next chapter for Common Circus? 

First up, on Saturday 28 February, Lauren and the team will be hosting a Celebration of Joy, a day dedicated to soaking up the magic of the space one last time.

Following this, Common Circus will be shifting into an online-first model operating from a warehouse in Bennetts Green, chosen for practicality, size, and the reality of what’s possible right now.

Whilst the plan is to operate online, Lauren will retain as much of an open door feel as possible. 

“You’ll be able to click and collect and pick up Monday to Friday, and there will be a showroom aspect.”

“There’ll still be items on display, there’ll be all the jewellery there to try on. That try-before-you-buy kind of vibe.”

Most importantly, Lauren wants the new space to feel welcoming, not like you’re interrupting someone’s workday.

“We want you to drop in, to pick up your order. We still want to hear what you’re saying, if we get a new range of cushions, I’m happy to throw them all together and see which ones work well.”

It’s a shift in format, but not in values, and it still leaves room for what Lauren loves most.

“I’m a merchandiser at heart, I still love when people walk in and show an interest in something that I’m interested in. Being able to talk about that and showcase what we’ve got will be a big part of that space.”

What can we expect to change? 

One aspect of the business Lauren doesn’t plan to return to is a hospitality offering.

“I don’t think I’ll go down that route again because my passion is in retail, and creating beautiful spaces.” 

“The beauty of hospitality is it brings people together, that’s what I love about it. But stepping back and understanding what it is that people want, and how you can do it in a better way, is where I’m at.”

For Lauren, this isn’t just a relocation. It’s a chance to rebuild the business model for the world we’re in now, not the one Common Circus opened into 12 years ago.

“It’s a completely different world to when I first opened, even pre-COVID, there’s some reimagining of what retail looks like.”

“How do we do it in a way that’s sustainable? Not just to be profitable, but actually sustain and continue to grow, and evolve, and do cool things,” 

“My plan is to break it all down to the bare minimum and then start again.”

For those wondering how Lauren is feeling? 

“I’ve had a lot of people ask ‘are you okay?’ and I want people to know that I’m genuinely okay.”

“That doesn’t mean it hasn’t been painful, I’m just choosing not to live in the anger of it. I don’t find it very constructive to sit in anger, not taking anything away from the pain, but they can exist at the same time.”

“When you own a business, you can’t really sit in feeling for that long, you always have to be thinking, okay, what’s next, and right now, what’s next is a transition, and I’m putting one foot in front of the other, while I build what Common Circus becomes from here.”

So what will Common Circus look like in the future? 

Lauren’s longer-term vision includes returning to a physical space, but in a different way, potentially seasonal and experience-based rather than a full-time venue.

For now, she’s focused on building the warehouse, making it functional, welcoming, and true to what Common Circus is all about.

“It’s a challenge to turn a concrete box into somewhere you actually want to be, but we’ve experienced hard times, and needed to shift the business, but I still want to be here, and still have the energy for the work.

“This is definitely what I need to be doing,” Lauren says. “I still have a lot of energy for it, just not here.”

Common Circus isn’t disappearing. It’s regrouping, and getting ready to re-emerge in a new form.

(For the full context around the venue closure, Lauren has shared more detail via Common Circus’ Instagram.)