AN independent bookstore is set to close for good in the coming months after the owner ‘exhausted’ herself building a community for three years.
Leena Batchelor announced Script Haven would shut in the next few months in a Facebook post on Sunday (September 20).
Ms Batchelor said: “This is the statement I never wanted to write; devastation does not even begin to describe it, but I’m done.
“I’ve spent so much time listening to people talk about wanting community, a space to switch off, external organisations saying how much they want independents on the high street.
“I’ve exhausted myself trying to figure out how to build and maintain it.
“Some still have the fight and energy to do this; that’s great, and I’ll walk alongside and support them to the hilt. But I can’t keep exhausting myself.”
Script Haven moved to Crown Passage in April (Image: Newsquest)
Ms Batchelor revealed she would be retiring soon, but would keep Script Haven running for a few more months so events can go ahead, including the store’s regular poetry and writing groups.
READ MORE: Global superstar Mariah Carey coming to West Midlands for Christmas tour
She said: “I have taken the time to think about what I truly want for the rest of my life.
“I want my soul back.
“I do not want to spend the next ten years trying to convince people who say they want something to participate in and then seem to vanish when we put it in place for them.
“It has been an honour and a privilege supporting people and groups to develop and grow, many launching their own creative endeavours.
“But while our loyal customers and groups have shown incredible love and support, sadly that alone isn’t enough to sustain Script Haven in this challenging retail environment.”
READ MORE: Nursery praised by Ofsted for ‘very warm and caring environment’ 1 year after opening
Script Haven has become the third independent bookstore in Worcester to close in as many years.
In 2024, Bored and Bookless, Friar Street, closed suddenly, having been on the street for less than 18 months.
In January, Friar Street lost its other bookstore when Plot Twist Books owner Sara Cooper announced she could no longer afford to keep it running, following 14 months on the street.
Script Haven first opened near Cathedral Square on Worcester High Street (Image: Newsquest)
Script Haven first opened more than three years ago on the High Street, but recently moved to Crown Passage due to financial pressures and to be closer to the Scala arts project.
Ms Batchelor said: “Consider all the individual independent businesses that have closed in the last 12 months, and those that are planning to close in the next 12.
“I’ve spent three years trying to build Script Haven into something the city could embrace, and along the way, I started designing myself out of the life that truly matters.
“And moving on to something simpler is not failure.”
