Savoy Bookshop & Cafe to close
Jul. 21—WESTERLY — The Savoy Bookshop and Café in Westerly announced it is closing on July 28.
Employees were told of the closing Friday by owner Annie Philbrick during an on-site meeting.
The Savoy is a sister store to Bank Square Books in Mystic and Title IX: A Bookstore in New London. Both those stores will remain open.
"At the end of the day, the numbers don't work. I've been trying for seven years, and they just don't work," Philbrick said in a phone call. "It's hard because people love this store. I love it, too, and our staff. I wish it could be any other way."
The two-story Canal Street location, with exposed brick walls, polished wood, a bakery and coffee counter and thoughtfully curated stock, fit well in Westerly's revitalized downtown area and was popular with readers and authors alike.
"Savoy has been a home and a haven to countless readers and writers," said New York Times best-selling author Luanne Rice of Old Lyme. "I've loved the store and its amazing booksellers since the beginning — just as I love its sister store, Bank Square Books.
"I feel grateful in a very bittersweet way to be having an event at Savoy on Tuesday, talking with Hannah McKinnon about her novel, 'The Darlings.' We'll fill the store with love and, no doubt, tears," she said.
Waterford's Jeff Benedict, another New York Times best-selling author who also appeared at the Savoy earlier in the year to discuss and sign copies of his book "LeBron," said the event reminded him that bookstores bring people together and reach people of different interests, ethnicities and religions.
"This is a shame; really bad news," Benedict said Friday. "A bookstore can be a fixture in the fabric of a community, but we've been losing indie bookstores since the creation of Amazon in the late 90s. It's gotten so hard for bookstores to survive a behemoth that can undercut and makes it so easy for consumers to shop from their computers and get stuff delivered to their home."
In a written statement, Philbrick said, "After a lengthy review of the business's finances, I have reached the conclusion that the store is no longer viable. Savoy continues to run a deficit year after year due to thin margins, fierce online competition, and increasing costs on nearly all fronts."
Philbrick said there are no openings at Bank Square or Title IX for Savoy employees, but they will receive two weeks' severance pay.
"Together with the store's staff, I have had the privilege of getting to know and serve thousands of customers, many of whom are considered regulars and friends," Philbrick wrote. "I'm incredibly grateful to each and every one (of the customers) ... it breaks my heart to share this news, (but) the time has come to move on to the next chapter."
Savoy will be open Saturday through Friday. Hours will be posted on Savoy's website and social media accounts. All merchandise is 20 percent off, and customers need to pick up any orders by Friday.
