A Darlington bookshop known for championing LGBTQ+ literature has permanently closed.
The Queerish Bookshop announced on Saturday (January 25) that it had officially closed the hot pink doors to its store on Bondgate for the final time.
The “queer and radical” shop - which opened in October 2023 - became known as a LGBTQ+ space outside of pride events and sold a range of books for the community and beyond.
Founder Megan Hemsley announced in late December that the physical store would be shutting for good, initially earmarking late January or early February as the closing time frame.
At the time, she penned an emotional note on social media, saying the decision was due to a range of factors including workload and footfall.
On Saturday, she said she decided to permanently close to allow some more time to “celebrate all the memories” on Sunday.
A full statement said: “The bookshop will NOT be open tomorrow and is officially permanently closed.
“I have made this decision as we served one lovely customer in-store today and Sundays are typically quieter, so I’m choosing to permanently close today and allow myself time tomorrow to celebrate all the memories I have of Queerish.
“While the bookshop is now closed, we do have a final book box out now for LGBTQ+ History Month. You may have already seen it on our website.
Recommended reading:
- LIVE: Cordon in place on Victoria Road in Darlington
- Leadgate Crash: One dead and three injured after A692 crash
- Inside once drug-plagued Stockton estate that's now 'lovely'
Get more from The Northern Echo with a digital subscription. Click here.
“I’ll be posting more about the book box soon, but for now I just wanted to say a big THANK YOU to each and everyone one of you for supporting Queerish.
“It means the world to me and I will never forget the memories we made together.”
The young entrepreneur previously said that, going forward, she plans to focus her energy on The Queerish Book Club, the store’s monthly book club for adults specialising in queer literature.
Share