‘I can’t go on like this’: Sheffield bookshop forced to close after months of harassment

A well-loved bookshop has been forced to close it doors after facing ongoing harassment and antisocial behaviour.

Kate Nixon, owner of Novel, has closed her business “indefinitely” because she no longer feels safe for herself or her staff.

Novel is an independent bookshop and cafe based near Crookes High Street. It is valued establishment within the local community which attracts families, students and visitors from all over the city.

Announcing the closure on Novels’ social media, Kate said the decision was made in response to a man who repeatedly harassed the shop reappeared and sparked fears for her safety as a woman working alone.

Over the last 18 months, Novel has faced countless accounts of anti-social behaviour in its shop and the surrounding area.

Three different men, who aren’t connected, have been harassing the shop since July including threats of violence, theft, demands for free items and repeated attempts to intimidate her by lingering outside the shop watching her.

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In a video posted online on Sunday 11th January, she said: “One of the three men would walk past, smiling whilst pretending to shoot me. This whole situation has broke me, my body has stopped working and I no longer get any sleep”.

According to Kate, one of the three men has been harassing the shop since July. She recalled the first interaction with man she names “man number three” walking in the shop looking “very coked up” and “fists covered in blood”.

He demanded she made him a coffee, before reading aloud a sexual passage from a book while laughing.

He then took the coffee and the book without paying and later returned it through the shop’s letter box.

Police issued the man a formal community protection warning on Tuesday 23rd December.

Kate initially assumed this incident was a “one off” but the encounter happened multiple times over the next few months.

She said: “I would put cold water in the coffee I made him because I was afraid he would do something weird. He would switch so easily and get very angry with me and my staff. I feel expatriated. I am at a point where my business doesn’t see viable and I don’t if I can carry on like this if am exhausted

“I thought I’d got rid of him but we are still in this situation and it sucks”.

She continued: “My guard is up and the service I was giving to customers is not one I want to put out in the world. I am normally really resilient but I have now signed up for therapy because I can’t cope. I can’t make it through a month without calling the police and creating risk assessments for my staff. I shouldn’t have to deal with this.

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“I am at peace with no longer running Novel as a shop. I can’t do this for another year”.

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It wasn’t only Kate’s shop facing these issues. After reaching out to businesses across Crookes and Crookesmore, she found that many others had also had encounters with at least one of the three men who had been harassing her at Novel.

The third man smashed is believed to have smashed windows at Springvale Pub, telling the staff “to not worry” since he is “only targeting women and women owned businesses”.

Kate suffers from Crohn’s and arthritis, and she claimed the events at Novel caused a decline in her mental and physical health, even resulting in hospitalisation.

Her statement and announcement of closure sparked an out pour of love, support and hope from the community and people of Sheffield who loved the creative community space Kate had put her heart into.

The incident also sparked wider concerns about the rise of antisocial behaviour in Crookes but also concerns about the safety of women and the safety of independent traders facing harassment”.

Nik Dodsworth, Sheffield North West NPT Inspector, said: “Crime and antisocial behaviour targeting businesses can have a damaging impact on people and the local community, and nobody should have to go into work feeling fearful, unsafe or vulnerable.

“Since becoming aware of concerns in the Crookes area we have been working closely with Ms Nixon and other businesses, offering advice and support including around enhanced security measures and crime prevention tactics.

“We are also enhancing patrols in the local area to provide reassurance and make people feel safer, and exploring the possibility of civil orders against prolific individuals.

“No business owner should find themselves in fear of the people entering their premises, and we will investigate all reports that meet a criminal threshold. If you have experienced this, please report it to us.

“We will do all we can, alongside our partners, to ensure our vibrant local communities, including Crookes, remain safe and enjoyable places to live, work and visit”.

There is currently no information on whether Novel will be reopening but Kate is working closely with the police.

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Featured image credit via Instagram @novelssheffield and Youtube