Last month beloved independent Welsh language bookshop Palas Print closed on Bangor High Street. The owners, Eirian James and Selwyn Jones, who have another store in Caernarfon said:
“Sadly, we have to admit that despite our best efforts, and the continued support of a small but faithful group of people in the area, we have not succeeded in developing the business in Bangor.
“Over the past few months I’ve had to face the harsh reality that the Bangor shop is not sustainable, and therefore with a heavy heart, and apologies to all those who have supported our venture in Bangor, I have to announce that the Bangor shop will close on 24th January at 5.30pm.
“It is important to note that we will continue trading in Caernarfon, that the Caernarfon shop is viable and thriving, and though in the short term, it is sad to admit that I have failed in Bangor, our aim is to secure the long term future of the business on the high street in Caernarfon.
“Even though we will no longer be on the High Street in Bangor, we would very much like to continue, where possible, to offer a service to our faithful customers in the Bangor area who are unable to make it to Caernarfon or other shops in the area regularly.
“We are also looking into the possibility of having a drop off point for customer collections in Bangor.”
The shop was host to many cultural and literary events, including the book launch of Hazel Manuel’s novel ‘Kanyakumari” which was reported in Seren this past August. They even had a regular bookshop. Bangor Universities English Literature department had close ties with the store and hosted a book sale for the shop in the past week. Students often used to the store to order core module readings. The store will be greatly missed, it is always sad to see independent businesses close. Fortunately the Caernarfon store does quite well:
“We are happy to report that 2014 has been a successful year in Caernarfon, that the shop and the whole street continues to flourish, develop and improve every year.
“We have held a number of successful events in the shop and in the street, and we are already planning a programme of events for 2015.”
