Attention: the powers that be
Sent: to the CEO of Macmillan and the head of communications

Hello. It’s Izabel here. I’m a Canadian expat web designer who has been living in London for over 6 years now. During these 6 years one of the things which I’ve really loved about living in this fabulous city has been the wide range of independent bookshops peppered throughout town – and my very favourite of all has always been the Pan Bookshop.

My husband and I lived for years down the road and the Pan Bookshop has always been high on our list of local destinations. What a great place to visit, to meet, to chat to the friendly staff, to buy books (obviously) and cards and calendars and to pick up those exclusive signed first editions! I hand delivered a signed first edition of Jane Fonda’s autobiography to my mother in Canada and her jaw dropped – I was thrilled to be able tell her that I had bought it at an independent bookshop down the road from my flat.

The Pan Bookshop has always added so much character and intellect and fun to the Fulham Road: it’s so inviting with those great window displays and cards outside, and it’s such a fixture in the neighbourhood. It’s one of a kind, unlike all of the chain shops and restaurants encroaching on the area – a real gem in the repetitive retail universe.

Before I wrote to you I downloaded all the information about Pan Macmillan that I could get from the Companies House website. I was really hoping to find out that Macmillan made huge profits that could be used towards keeping the bookstore open, but what I found was a more realistic picture of a publishing company in this new media age.

So I must appeal directly to your hearts there at Pan Macmillan: if you truly love books, please save the bookshop, and save something unique and wonderful in this identikit world. London needs the Pan Bookshop: don’t let us lose the best thing about SW10!