The popular Canterbury Cheesemongers shop in the Arts Centre will close in July.

Owners Sarah and Martin Aspinwall said they would not renew their lease, citing burnout and difficulties operating in a post-quake landscape.

The news comes as Christchurch hospitality businesses are increasingly worried about surviving with at least 30 more bars and eateries due to open in the CBD over the coming months.

DAVID WALKER/STUFF Cheesemongers temperature-controlled cheese room, and some unique cheeses in store.

Recent casualties have included old hands like well known chef Jonny Schwass, who earlier this year admitted misapplying tax payments totalling more than $300,000 before his company went out of business last year.

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There have also been several cases of new premises – such as The Good Goat gastro pub in Victoria St – closing their doors within months of opening.

ALDEN WILLIAMS/STUFF Canterbury Cheesemongers has become a bit of an institution in Christchurch and many regulars are sad it is closing.

Sarah Aspinwall said last winter had been particularly quiet, and Cheesemongers had never been able to go back to its pre-quake sales levels,

"After the earthquakes you go into survival mode and do things you don't want to do in the long term," Sarah Aspinwall said.

Cheesemongers, which specialises in storing, maturing, and selling cheese, started offering lunchtime cheesy toasted sandwiches to attract customers in the empty central city after the February 2011 quake. While successful, the initiative was not making much money.

"It's just not our corse business," Sarah Aspinwall said.

The tourism market was also time-consuming with a lot of tourists coming in to admire the shop's cheese collection without spending any money.

"Sometimes we feel like we're a museum of cheese."

Sarah Aspinwall was reluctant to "whinge about the roadworks" but said many regulars had told her they were not coming to the city anymore because of it.

Many people also thought car parking was difficult and expensive in the central city, but it was a perception issue, she said.

"You can park in the Art Gallery car park for an hour for free and walk here."

The Aspinwalls started Canterbury Cheesemongers in 2000 from the back of a refrigerated van at the Arts Centre and Christchurch farmers' markets.

Two years later, they outgrew their mobile shop and moved into a space on Salisbury St until moving back to the Arts Centre after they were forced to move out following the September 2010 earthquake.

Sarah Aspinwall said she was not sure what was next - the couple was considering options including going back to the van business and opening a smaller shop.

On Friday, the couple posted on their Facebook page:

"With heavy hearts we have decided to close our business with effect from mid-July. . . running a small business since the earthquakes has taken its toll. . . What is certain is that folks with Cheesemonger Gift Vouchers need to pop in and redeem them by July."

An outpouring of comments, messages, emails and phone calls followed, Sarah Aspinwall said.

"It's been really lovely but we are not second-guessing our decision. It's been a long-time coming."