On Friday 29th of October, Chapters announced that they would be closing in early 2022 after 40 years of business. The establishment is the largest independent bookstore in the country and has been trading since 1983.
Chapters specialised in second-hand books and first opened their doors on Wicklow Street in Dublin and hopped around the city centre before settling in Dublin’s iconic Parnell Street.
Announcing the news on Twitter, owner William Kinsella thanked his customers, old and new, for their support over the years while also announcing a huge clearance sale.
Mr Kinsella has said the business is not making enough money to continue trading and that he attributes the imminent closure of his beloved bookstore to the lack of tourists and commuters due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
Chapters is not the first business to suffer due to the pandemic with many stores in Dublin City Centre shutting their doors in recent months due to the lack of foot traffic in the city.
Many patrons expressed their dismay at the news and queues have been down the street each day since the news, forcing the staff to refuse people joining the ever-growing line two hours before their closure with many other people waiting hours to get in and buy their last few bits in Chapters.
One DCU student said ‘It’s honestly such a shame. I go in there all the time and I’m going to 100% miss it heaps. I also found it was one of the better bookshops in Dublin for queer representation in literature and I’m not sure if I’ll find that again.’
I have many fond memories of shopping in Chapters. When I went to visit my great-grandfather at his home on Parnell Street, he would walk me down to Chapters and let me get anything I liked while I was there, but only if I did my homework. I am deeply saddened that the bookstore that holds so many treasured memories of mine is shutting down.
Chapters are operating a clearance sale in which customers can buy two books and get the cheapest one free to drive up business in their last few months of trading.
So, for Christmas this year, why not grab your loved one some books from Chapters. We only have a few months left with the cherished bookstore.
It’s safe to say we wish this Chapter didn’t have to end.