18/03/2019
It is with regret that I have given notice to my landlord, and will be closing Stourport Emporium by the end of August.
I am aware of the comments on various pages about local shops - and sometimes mine in particular. My opening times have for some time been erratic. There are reasons for this. Trade is so unpredictable that I no longer know what to expect and budget for. With one week to go before Xmas I took just £17 on the Saturday. Then the week leading up to Xmas was terrific and lots of stock sold which I had held for more than a year.
Charity shops are the chosen destination for people seeking paperback novels, just one reason for not being a "proper" bookshop. My selection of books are always priced below Amazon's, yet still people ask for a discount. If anyone else shows me a book they. have bought in a charity shop, while saying that they therefore cannot buy anything from me...... well!
I source good and unusual books and try to offer something different from W.H. Smugs at a good price. Ironically, While Amazon are undercutting retailers ( sometimes selling at a loss) I am able to sell copies of some books at a higher price on Amazon than in the shop.So - in the next couple of months, there will be many sale items on the shelves, but some stock will be taken off and listed on Amazon. In future I will trade online and at occasional markets selling my music and art books, music gifts and exclusive greeting cards ( which have remained at £1.50 for over 5 years).
After 3 years trading in Bewdley and over a year in Stourport I have simply had enough. It has been wonderful to meet so many nice people who share some of my passions, and I will miss our chats! What I will not miss is days like last Saturday when between midday and 5 pm I only took £2.25.
The end.
