Ramsgate's Book Bodega closes due to financial pressures a year after crowdfund saved shop

Ramsgate’s indie bookshop Book Bodega has closed following its final trading days last weekend. Citing financial pressures, rising bills and the closure of other small businesses, the booksellers announced that the shop was no longer viable and would close after 28th July.

Following a final in-store sale, the bookshop’s stock is now only available online since 1st August.

Book Bodega was launched in June 2022 by Nick Turner and Sapphire Bates, who went viral last year when she made a post on X (formerly Twitter) asking her followers to support the bookshop during a time of rising energy costs, tight budgets and missing deliveries.

Bates’ post reached 5.7 million views, and a crowdfunder raised more than £800 to pay the bills and keep the shop open. However, unfortunately, it has still been forced to close a year later.

In a post on Instagram a week ago, the booksellers encouraged customers to visit the bookshop and buy some books with a 30% discount. "We really want to pay off all our stockists and try to minimise the debt we are walking away with from this venture," they said.

Bookshop numbers across the country had remained static last year after years of slowly increasing figures, according the Booksellers Association’s (BA) membership numbers, which were released in January.

In her letter to members, the BA’s managing director, Meryl Halls, said that booksellers were feeling the pressure of low margins and high costs in a difficult economic climate.