Horror bookshop aims to raise £20k to stay open

Image caption, The Haunted Bookshop has been running for two years

ByMarcus Boothe and Sonia MumtazBristol

An independent bookshop which specialises in horror, fantasy, folklore and the occult is trying to raise £20,000 to save it from closing.

The Haunted Bookshop opened in Bristol two years ago for "anyone who has ever felt a little different".

Owner, Monika Killer, said ongoing cost-of-living pressures and a recent drop in footfall due to the heatwave have meant that the business has fallen behind on essential bills and is now "impossible to manage alone".

Killer has started a crowd fundraiser, which has so far seen more than 450 supporters pledge over £7,500 to save the shop.

Killer said the bookshop also provides a support network for a wide range of city artists and small businesses, a community that has "always been at the heart of everything we do".

"We've created a place where people who often feel like they don't belong can find friendship, acceptance, and a sense of home," she said.

Leigh-Ann Charlotte works at the bookshop as a tarot reader, but was originally a loyal customer.

She said it is a great space for anyone who likes anything different, like witchcraft.

Image caption, A crowd fundraiser has so far raised over £7,500 towards rescuing the shop

Customer Sarina Maloy said the space gives people a chance to connect, and "it would be a severe loss if the shop shuts down".

Another regular at the shop, Mia Gailey, said it was a second home for people who do not fit in elsewhere.

"If it wasn't for this place, I wouldn't have had some of the greatest friendships and experiences I've ever had," she said.

"Watching these connections form has been the greatest privilege of running this shop, and I want nothing more than to see this community continue to grow and thrive," Killer added.