Our Story

ONCE UPON A TIME A BOOKSHOP

Long ago in 1999 alison’s bookshop opened on the High Street of the pretty and historic market town of Tewkesbury.

Ian Nicholson had searched far and wide over hills and dales for the right location in which to realise his dream of having his own bookshop.

When finally he discovered the perfect place, although in somewhat dilapidated state on the High Street of Tewkesbury, he could see that his long quest had come to an end.

“Hooray!” Ian exclaimed, “at last this is it, this is where I will start my bookshop”, He was really quite overjoyed at the thought. “These two shops look rather scruffy at the moment but with a bit of love and attention they will soon be a wonderful shop full of exciting and beautiful books!” He was very happy.

But there was a great deal of work that needed to be done to make a real bookshop. The building really was in a bad way.

First of all, there was the lack of a staircase to sort out as clearly getting up to the first floor was going to be a problem without one.

Then came other complicated stuff like propping up ceilings, laying new floors, getting rid of rot, new windows, plastering, painting, not forgetting installing the shelving and counter … the list was extensive and it all took a very – long – time.

Lastly, and most exciting so far, the books arrived! Boxes and boxes of marvellous books that had to be sorted and arranged.

When all the work was done and the shelves were full of books, “Perfect” said Ian with a large smile on his face. “Some things really are worth waiting for and alison’s bookshop is one of them!”

Now everything was ready and the customers came to alison’s bookshop and when they came they said really lovely things that made Ian even happier and he knew that Tewkesbury was the right place for alison’s.

Many years have passed since alison’s bookshop opened and if you go inside you will still find shelves of beautiful books and lots of other interesting things as well. Ian will still be behind the counter and ready to help, happy in his bookshop.

Not The End because the story of alison’s bookshop carries on…

A secured future for alison’s bookshop

Good news! Ian Nicholson can confirm the planned sale of alison’s bookshop will be going ahead this spring; completion now likely mid-May. Please keep looking on the alisonsbookshop.co.uk web site for an annoucement of an actual date.

The new owner Catherine Robertson, is a Tewkesbury resident who wanted a career change from being a University Librarian. Books are in her blood and Ian Nicholson said “I am so delighted to see the legacy we have built up pass over to a new younger generation. The town needs a bookshop and Catherine will inherit the great support we have received from everyone these last 26 years. What is equally important is that we can repay that support by ensuring alisons continues to serve the community, our town and surrounding villages.”

Catherine said: ‘I am very excited to have the opportunity to take on alison’s bookshop and meet all the lovely customers, both old and new – I can’t wait to get started. I plan to continue Ian’s excellent work and quality book selection, whilst adding in some new ideas to ensure alison’s remains the thriving High Street landmark Ian has worked so hard to create. A huge thank you to Ian, and to all the people who sent me Ian’s original article in Tewkesbury Direct – this really is a dream come true for me.”
This succession for the business came about due to publicity in Tewkesbury Direct and both Ian and Catherine are grateful for the help of these pages in creating this upcoming change of ownership.

Ian added “When I first met Catherine I knew she was the right person to take alison’s on into the next decade and beyond. Her enthusiasm and love of books shone through. The future of alison’s bookshop is in safe hands. Our loyal customers, both local and further afield can continue browsing for years to come.”