Illness forces Sidmouth bookseller to give up
THE owner of BookLife, Sidmouth, has his shop up to let this week after hearing he has a terminal illness.
THE owner of BookLife, Sidmouth, has his shop up to let this week after hearing he has a terminal illness.
Andrew Muir, who is 62 on Sunday, learnt this week he has about a year to live after being diagnosed with lung cancer.
Now he has instructed Malcolm Williams of Harrison, Lavers and Potbury's to find someone to take over the lease of his High Street shop.
"It is a bit of a shock and I just want to enjoy life a bit with the family and do a bit of fishing," said Andrew, who lives in Sidford Road.
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"I want to enjoy every day. I don't know how many there are and I want to make the most of them.
"I have five years on the lease and my wife Carolyn would be responsible for it if it was empty, so I am looking for someone to take on the premises.
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"I have been here six years and they have been happy years," said Andrew, who begins chemotherapy shortly.
"With the treatment I might have to close and we are coming up to the busiest time of year. I will struggle to keep open, so ideally I would like someone to take over the lease so I can close down."
He said he has offered stock to Mark Chapman of Paragon Books and said the shop could be used for other retail purposes.
In January, Andrew and Carolyn went to visit his 93-year-old mother Joan, in Queensland, Australia, and went for x-rays on his return.
"I have been a smoker all my life, 20 a day," said Andrew. "Now I see kids puffing in the street and I feel like ripping the cigarette out of their hand."
*All enquiries about the shop, which has a total of 480 square feet of sales space, office, store and toilet facilities, should be made to Mr Williams.
