Popular Bristol bar owners make ‘incredibly sad’ decision to leave

A popular bar in South Bristol is to change hands after three years. The Old Bookshop was converted from a shop to a thriving bar in 2011, with current owners Laura Guest and Neil Hemus taking over the premises in 2021.

The friendly neighborhood bar has won over punters with its range of European beers, ciders and food and has attracted rave reviews praising the food, atmosphere and staff. But Laura and Neil have made the “incredibly sad” decision to say goodbye and hand over the business to another team.

The pair shared the news on social media, but confirmed that the bar will operate as normal until the new owners take over. Neil and Laura added that they will be organizing other venues in Bristol and hope to see some familiar faces in their other bars.

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They shared: “We want a bit of a sad announcement unfortunately. After almost 3 years, the Old Bookshop as we all know it is coming to an end. The site will change hands to another independent business from Bristol who will take ownership of the site in the coming months – more on that soon.

“We (Neil, Laura and the team) are incredibly sad to say goodbye, but we’re equally proud of the little community we’ve built while we’ve had the pleasure of running this wonderful neighborhood bar. our dream vision of a bar and we want to thank everyone who walked through the doors and made it the place it was.

“We’re glad we had the opportunity to have it for the time we had, and we’re sorry we couldn’t make it work. You will still be able to visit the Old Bookstore in the coming months before it changes hands. , so we hope to see as many of you as possible. All of our staff’s jobs are thankfully safe in the process and will continue in the new location – so you’ll still see your friendly faces!

“We (Neil and Laura) will be organizing other venues in Bristol in the near future so hopefully we can still see some familiar faces around the bars very soon. But most importantly, thank you all again for making the Old Bookshop what it is.”

The pair shared the news on social media on Saturday (June 1), with punters indeed sad to read the news but many keen to welcome the new owners. One shared: “Always go to the bar when I visit Bristol and one of my favorites anywhere! I hope to see you do something as good in the future!”

Another commented: “You guys have provided the most friendly, diverse and safe space for everyone. You will be terribly missed, but we can only wish you well in your future endeavours. You deserve the best for yourself and I wish you the best of luck in your newest adventure.”

One punter commented: “You run one of the best places in Bristol. Thank you for everything you did when you were there, it was such a welcoming space with good beer. Good luck with your next steps and be sure to let us all know where you are. opening!”

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