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LGBTQ+ News

“Queer and radical” bookshop in Darlington will be “very much missed” after founder announces its closure

Graham Robson December 29, 2024

The founder of a “queer and radical” Darlington bookshop has announced the “difficult decision” to close the shop, which has been championing LGBTQ+ literature since it opened its doors in October 2023

Since opening The Queerish Bookshop, Megan Hemsley has been providing a venue for the community outside of pride events, while selling a range of “radical and LGBTQ+” books.

However, the young bookseller announced on social media on Saturday, December 28 that the physical store would be shutting for good due to various factors, including workload and footfall.

They said: “Hey gays, so there’s no really easy way to say this but I have made the difficult decision to shut the brick-and-mortar store for The Queerish Bookshop.

“I created the bookshop out of a strong passion to bring to life a physical queer space for the community in Darlington and the North East, but multiple factors have led to my decision to close the physical store.

Megan Hemsley

“As mentioned in a previous post, I have been juggling self-employment with traditional employment for years now and my life is quite unbalanced and stressful as a result of this.

“In 2025, I want to begin to focus more on my well-being and move away from my workaholic tendencies.

“Equally, while the space has been managing to cover its overheads thanks to your support, most days the bookshop is quiet.

“I didn’t know when I started how the shop would be received and I’m honestly chuffed with the results, but the reality is the space can’t be sustained with the lack of footfall/tourism a small town like Darlington gets.”

The young entrepreneur said 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.

The news was met with sadness from “gutted” fans, with one saying: “So sorry to hear this news but I know how hard it is to pull something like this off.”

Another added: “Oh this is such sad news, but completely understandable. I hope you manage to find a better work/life balance. The shop will be very much missed.”

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