End of chapter
Last updated 10:48, Friday, 30 May 2008
ONE of Tynedale’s best known book shops – and undoubtedly its most haunted – will be closing down in the summer after 11 years in business.
Priestpopple Books, which deals in second hand and antiquarian literature, will be shutting up shop on the first week of July, when a closing down sale will be held.
At any one time, the shop could stock up to 70,000 books, and owner John Patterson also sells to many customers over the internet.
But the Prudhoe resident, who runs the business with his wife, Ann, said trading conditions in Hexham where declining due to the number of charity shops in the area.
The business had also had difficulty advertising due to restrictions on the placement of A-boards, meaning that people were unaware of the premises by Hexham bus station.
“I’m 67 years old, and was due to call it a day,” Mr Patterson added.
“But I’m not totally retired. We’ll still be trading on the internet and keeping the name going.”
Originally from Newcastle, John set up the business after returning to the North-East, following a 16-year stint in London, where he worked for Imperial Cancer Research.
Over the years, both he and his customers have had numerous spooky encounters, leading to national interest in the shop as a hotspot for paranormal activity.
On one occasion, a customer look the liberty of performing an exorcism upstairs.
On another, a team of paranormal investigators came have a look for themselves, and declared that whatever was haunting the shop thought very highly indeed of its owner.
But the feeling is not mutual. John said he could have looked into who the wandering spirit belonged to, but in the event has “never been bothered to find out”.
Priestpopple Books can be contacted by emailing priestpopple.books@tiscali.co.uk
