DAYS Bookstore, Staple in The City for 35 Years, to Close Permanently in 2024
December 11, 2023
After 35 years, DAYS Bookstore will close due to financial setbacks, declining foot traffic, and a decline in sales caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The bookstore's directors recognized the changing business landscape and the increasing use of the internet for information. They also acknowledged the continued importance of bookstores and expressed gratitude for the support they received over the years.
After 35 years, DAYS Bookstore will write its final chapter when it shuts shop on January 13 next year.
Financial setbacks and declining foot traffic have been given as reasons for the closure of the Independence Square, Bridgetown business.
In a press statement, the company cited a decline in sales as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Founding managing director Keith Austin died in 2016 and his daughter, Karen Austin, who succeeded him, passed away in June this year.
While they considered ways to keep the business afloat, non-executive directors Anthony Sobers and Eric Smith said they simply ran out of viable options.
“We wanted to keep the legacy of Keith and Karen alive, but recognised that we are in a rapidly changing business where content consumption has evolved and continues to do so. An increasing number of people are using the Internet as their source of information.
“Additionally, we have been hit by the tremendous fall-off in foot traffic given the developments around the area in which we are operating,” they said in the statement.
Despite the advances in digital technology, the directors said bookstores still fill a need for knowledge, but will have to adapt to the changing times.
“We know DAYS Bookstore has made an indelible contribution to this society not only in selling books, but in offering an opportunity for many local authors to get their publications to the public,” they said while thanking Barbadians, as well as clients in other Caribbean islands, for their support over the years. (PR/JRN)
