Snug Bookshop forced to close after weather damages building

Owner Sam Carr initially made the decision to close the Snug Bookshop and Café at the end of January after November’s Storm Arwen caused significant damage to the Grade-II listed building it has been housed in since it opened in 2018.

After the bookshop’s closure was announced because of the storm, further spells of bad weather over the Christmas period made the situation worse, meaning Sam must now sell her stock as soon as possible.

Heavy rain on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day came through holes in the ceiling caused by the storm, soaking the bookshop’s carpet and causing Sam to lose a lot of stock to water damage.

Now, Sam is trying to sell her remaining books – many of them at a discounted rate – before the store closes permanently. 

Her books are available online, and Sam was able to safely allow customers into the bookshop’s café on Sunday until 4:30pm to make purchases.

Sam, who used to work as a public and school librarian before opening the Snug Bookshop, is hopeful she will be able to launch a crowdfunding page this week to help her relocate to new premises.

SALE: A sign announcing the bookshop's closure and discounted books after Storm Arwen (Image: The Snug Bookshop)

She told the Bridgwater Mercury: “It’s been devastating.

“We have lost a lot of stock. We are selling a lot of books really cheap.

“At the moment, we can’t afford to go anywhere else.”

Storm Arwen was not the first time the building been affected by the weather.

In August 2020, heavy rain caused damage to part of the shop front and, in October, Sam described some of the town centre’s buildings as “very old” and in need of regeneration.

Sedgemoor District Council (SDC) is now taking enforcement action against the building’s landlord so repairs are carried out.

However, Sam believes the council had “the means” to help sooner and said “it would have meant the world” for a council representative to visit the store after she announced its closure.

“I have felt invisible and like I’ve done something to upset them all,” said Sam. 

“I have contacted them, but they haven’t reached out to me to ask how they can help me.”

An SDC spokesperson said the council “only has limited powers to assist in situations between landlords and tenants, which we have done so over many months”.

DAMAGE: Parts of the building's roof were blown off by Storm Arwen at the end of November, prompting the announcement of the store's closure (Image: The Snug Bookshop)

The spokesperson said: “SDC have every sympathy for the situation and have been working with the owner of the bookshop over many months to try and reach a solution. 

“Due to the building being in private ownership, our powers are extremely limited.

“As a Grade ll-listed building that is privately owned, the only course of action SDC can do is to take enforcement action against the owner to carry out the repairs.

“We have done this.

“Unfortunately, any enforcement action is not an immediate or easy route, as there are many stages to go through, with statutory timescales for works to be completed by the landlord.

“If the landlords do not comply, there are then further lengthy legal processes to follow.”  

The spokesperson also said the council applied 100 per cent business rate relief for the bookshop and helped ensure “all eligible businesses” received financial support from the Government throughout the pandemic.

The spokesperson added: “SDC own a small number of commercial/retail premises in Bridgwater, which we looked at to see if we could help with a possible relocation, but all our units are fully occupied at present.  

“Over the past months, council staff from Conservation, Environmental Health, Economic Development, and Business Rates have been in contact to help as and where we can.”

BOOKSHOP: Sam's shop before adverse weather forced her to announce its closure (Image: The Snug Bookshop)

Since announcing the bookshop’s closure, Sam has received messages of support from the local community and booksellers and readers from as far away as Australia and South Africa.

“People have been fantastic, ordering books online and with their messages of support, and knocking on the window and telling me they’re sorry and asking if there’s anything they can do,” she said.

“It’s amazing and very much appreciated.

“I feel loved by the community and the bookselling community.”

You can order books from the Snug Bookshop’s website HERE. You can find the Snug Bookshop on Twitter (@snugbookshop) and Facebook.