Once upon a time, the Animal Aid and Advice bookshop in Highbury brought in plenty of money.
But Stephen Horne, the shop’s oldest volunteer at 71, says that the situation has worsened over the years.
The final chapter
“We used to make over £90 a day, but now on a good day we’d struggle to take in £10,” he said. “Sales have really nosedived.”
Stephen has been volunteering at the charity bookshop for years. He’s a retired solicitor who does what he can to get out of the house, where his two cats are his only company.
But after sales have taken a turn for the worse, the shop is being forced to close. The charity’s board made the decision after the bookstore started to make them a significant loss.
Volunteers have found it difficult to shift the stock
As for the books in the store, Stephen says that a lot of them may have to be pulped. The staff hope to shift as much as they can before the end of December, when they will have to clear out the shop.
A different tale
Elsewhere in London, “radical” political bookshop Hausmans is actually reporting an increase in sales recently.
Manager Nik Gorecki told City News that there are pressures from online competition and rising rent costs.
However, he also said that “there’s a growing appetite to engage with politics and non-fiction reading”, which is boosting sales.
This comes after book chain Waterstones reported last week an increase of 50% in year-to-year sales of political books.
For small independent bookshops, times are tough. The pressures have become too great for the Animal Aid and Advice shop.
Owners of other bookstores will hope that the same fate doesn’t come their way, and those that are able to tap into the public mood may find that the future isn’t so bleak.
Submitted Article
Headline
Short Headline
Standfirst
Published Article
HeadlineAnimal Aid and Advice charity bookshop forced to close
Short HeadlineHighbury charity bookshop faces closure
StandfirstThe store will shut down by the end of next month amid "nosedived" sales.
Once upon a time, the Animal Aid and Advice bookshop in Highbury brought in plenty of money.
But Stephen Horne, the shop’s oldest volunteer at 71, says that the situation has worsened over the years.
The final chapter
“We used to make over £90 a day, but now on a good day we’d struggle to take in £10,” he said. “Sales have really nosedived.”
Stephen has been volunteering at the charity bookshop for years. He’s a retired solicitor who does what he can to get out of the house, where his two cats are his only company.
But after sales have taken a turn for the worse, the shop is being forced to close. The charity’s board made the decision after the bookstore started to make them a significant loss.
Volunteers have found it difficult to shift the stock
As for the books in the store, Stephen says that a lot of them may have to be pulped. The staff hope to shift as much as they can before the end of December, when they will have to clear out the shop.
A different tale
Elsewhere in London, “radical” political bookshop Hausmans is actually reporting an increase in sales recently.
Manager Nik Gorecki told City News that there are pressures from online competition and rising rent costs.
However, he also said that “there’s a growing appetite to engage with politics and non-fiction reading”, which is boosting sales.
This comes after book chain Waterstones reported last week an increase of 50% in year-to-year sales of political books.
For small independent bookshops, times are tough. The pressures have become too great for the Animal Aid and Advice shop.
Owners of other bookstores will hope that the same fate doesn’t come their way, and those that are able to tap into the public mood may find that the future isn’t so bleak.
A 2024 Freedom of Information request showed Bromley Council had £4.5 million invested in arms companies that year with £1.5 million reportedly linked to Israel.
Undercover officers raided three linked shops in Barking town centre, revealing how illicit tobacco is being hidden in walls, ceilings and nearby locations to evade detection.
More than 330,000 people across the UK sought support from the Stop It Now helpline in 2025 over concerns about their own or someone else’s online sexual behaviour towards children, according to new charity data. The anonymous service says contacts by phone, email and webchat rose significantly over the year.
