The much-loved independent bookshop, Blessington Book Store, announced on Friday May 1 that it will close its doors at the end of the month. The bookstore and coffeeshop was a popular venue for author events and a meeting place for locals.The closure is a timely reminder of the importance of supporting local and independent businesses, particularly bookshops who have been badly hit by the current restrictions and play such an important role in our local communities.
May 1 announcement:
“It is with a very heavy heart that The Blessington Bookstore must announce that from the end of May, we will close our doors for the last time.
Everything that made us special – the buzz, the craic, sharing stories, food, good coffee and wonderful books will not be possible for a long time to come. The emotional, physical and financial strain of trying to hang on is too immense, and it is better to finish on a high with a wealth of special memories.
All the team here would like to thank you, our customers, so much for your loyalty over the years. It has been a very great privilege to serve you and we thank you for your love and support. A special thank you to those who are buying online from us – we will continue to dispatch orders till the end of the month and will be adding more stock over the next days.
Stay well, stay safe and stay reading! ❤️📖❤️📖❤️📖”
Local reaction:
The news of the closure brought forth a massive online reaction and response from the local community – many of whom who said the bookshop was an integral part of the village. Comments posted online include:
This is so sad to hear the blessington book shop has being a big part of our lives since we moved to blessing the staff are so kind and welcoming this is going to be such a huge loss to blessington and the community.
I’m devastated to hear this. This is a huge loss to our town.
I can’t think of another book shop locally without going to Tallaght or Naas. It was so useful to have this local for the school books and supplies.
For all my 13 years living in Blessington you were my second home….my escape clause😉. I never needed a list of books to buy as I would just happily browse and always go home with amazing choices.
…always such a wonderful atmosphere one of our favorite places to go…
This is really sad news. I love the bookshop, my kids love the bookshop….Its truly a great loss.
I will miss that mum and son time … it’s my favourite place to be with my son and also been great having coffee and chat with the other mums … staff is wonderful .. it’s really heart breaking.
This is exactly the kind of business that enhances a town and it looks like this kind of local retail is going to be the hardest hit.
The bookshop remains open for this month (please check website/social media for opening hours) and will be selling off remaining stock and are also offering to replace any outstanding Blessington Bookshop vouchers with National Book Tokens. https://www.blessingtonbookstore.ie/
