Book-ish closes for day after Storm Dennis hits

Crickhowell store Book-ish in south Wales was forced to close on Monday after flooding in the town from storm Dennis meant bookselling staff could not get to the shop.

Parts of the Powys town were left underwater and residents had to be evacuated on Sunday when the River Usk burst its banks. Roads and a bridge to Llangattock were also flooded, meaning it was difficult to reach the town.

Book-ish and other businesses on the town’s hill were spared the flooding that hit other places. However, owner Emma Corfield-Walters, who visited friends in the Wirral when the storm struck, was unable to return to her home, the shop or help her friends and neighbours until late on Monday.

She told The Bookseller: "It’s just bad timing as we’ve has such a rubbish start to the year because of the weather and we pay rent at the end of this month."

"We‚Äôre such a tourist town and we get a lot of traffic through from that," she said. "That‚Äôs the concerning thing—even though a lot of places are open, people could just stay away because of the flooding."

Staff at Book-ish have been encouraged by support on social media, including people like Damian Barr who encouraged followers to order books from the store online yesterday.

Corfield-Walters said: "The bookselling community is just so lovely. We’ve had so many messages from people sending their good wishes. It shows people do care."

The shop, named runner-up in Britain's Best Small Shop award last year, was expected to reopen for business today.

Storm Dennis hit the UK a week after Ciara caused similar devastation, including flooding Hebden Bridge store The Book Case.