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The Chorleywood Bookshop is to relocate to a new site three doors down from its original premises.
Sheryl Shurville, co-founder of the independent, told The Bookseller she was moving due to a lease ending, and to avoid a rent hike of 20%.
A bookshop has occupied 4 New Parade for nearly 50 years, with the current shop in residence for 19. However it will be moving to 7 New Parade, formerly The Pepper Mill restaurant. Shurville will vacate the existing site by 24th March, and plans to reopen in the new premises on 12th April, in line with government restrictions easing. The shop will maintain click and collect and phone orders during the 18-day gap.
Shurville said: “The lease came to an end. We were on a 10-year lease with a five-year renewal and we were trying to negotiate, but the landlord wanted to put the rent up — we didn’t know quite what to do. It was a chance remark from the man at the Pepper Mill, just as we were running out of time [that led to securing the new location]. With lockdown it made it very difficult to think about moving.”
The new site is larger, with a garage for storage and more display space and browsing room. “We’ve got masses to do, converting what is essentially a pizzeria into a bookshop, while operating,” Shurville said. "We’ve been so busy with World Book Day, I am drowning in books."
The indie has currently taken its events online, but plans to launch live in-person ones in the new premises depending on how safe the community feels. Shurville is keen to plan physical events for the autumn, but said: “I don’t know at this stage — there are some people who would like to come out, but there will be others who won’t, because they’ll be worried about another spike [in cases of coronavirus]. I think people will be cautious this autumn.”
She anticipates hosting some socially distanced events, with smaller audiences, and some hybrid and Zoom-only conversations. The indie has delivered some international conversations with authors including Barbara Kingsolver and Heather Morris, and will continue to programme virtual events. “People have really taken to them and enjoyed them,” Shurville said.
All the staff were furloughed during the first lockdown, and now most are working flexibly to ensure only one person is in the shop, though the move will see all staff retained.
The Chorleywood Bookshop's second branch is located in Gerrard's Cross, and both are owned by the Chiltern Bookshop brand. Chorleywood was named the Vintage Independent Bookshop of the Year in 2012 and 2016, the first shop to have won the prize twice.