Somerset indie Snug Bookshop forced to close after roof damage

An independent Somerset bookshop is being forced to close for good after Storm Arwen damaged the roof.

The Snug Bookshop in Bridgwater will close its doors in January after battling with building faults for some time which have now been exacerbated by the weather. 

"I have made the decision — and the word gets stuck in my throat — I have made the decision to close the bookshop at the end of January. It's very hard for me to say that,” said Sam Carr, owner of the shop. 

Carr, who was named one of The Bookseller's Bookshop Heroes for 2021, is now holding a sale with 35% off books in an effort to clear stock and vacate the premises as quickly as possible. “I’ve just got nowhere to store them,” she said. “People have been amazing though — I’ve been offered a granny annexe, a barn, a summer house — but it’s an uninsured risk."

The former librarian has been “overwhelmed” by the support her local customers have shown her. “They are coming and not using the instore discount — they’ve been amazing," she said.

On 20th December Carr was expecting representatives from Willowdown Primary School to visit the shop and spend £500 on children’s books. “That will really clear the shelves,” she said.

The shop has occupied a Grade II-listed building on Watsons Lane since 2018. In addition to the battering the building has taken from the storm, Carr has experienced problems with faulty guttering and chronic damp causing mushrooms to grow on her carpet.  

Last week, a building regulations office advised Carr the shop could be unsafe for customers if the damage to the roof gets any worse. “I’m just at the point now where I have to get out,” she said. 

With heavy rain and snow on the way, Carr is taking it one day at a time with the shop’s opening hours, explaining: “I’m not going to open to the public if the weather gets any worse — it just isn’t safe." She expects to entirely vacate the building by 31st January 2022.

"I’m heartbroken at losing the shop,” she said. “It’s always been my absolute dream since I was little. I’m so disappointed that this has been allowed to happen. But having said that, I’m overwhelmed by the support from customers, and the bookselling industry, publishing reps and the BA. They have all been so supportive, there’s nothing anybody can do but they’ve just been amazing at keeping me high-spirited. It really is a supportive industry.

"There is a romantic view of owning a bookshop, probably thanks to that Meg Ryan film 'You’ve Got Mail', but it’s got so much harder since Covid. There’s a lot of upkeep, worry and long hours — and 80% of it is paperwork.”

Carr has been told she will not receive her deposit back on the building, a blow which may have “financially crippled” her dream of setting up again. 

She is looking into crowdfunding for a new location. “I’m hoping this isn’t the end — we are looking at other premises, but I’m just going to get through Christmas," she said. “My dream of dreams would be to have a new shop by World Book Day in March."

Readers can support The Snug Bookshop by purchasing books through the website or visiting the shop in Bridgwater.