A SECOND Wellington town centre shop has closed, with the business owner saying it had become unviable less than 18 months since it opened.

No Shelf Control opened in South Street in August, 2024, to sell what owner Aiden McLean described as ‘nerdy’ second-hand books, including horror, fantasy, and classic novels, and non-fiction staples.

Aiden, who founded the Bristol Alternative Market, said in a message to customers: “I want to take this opportunity to thank everybody who welcomed us with such wide open arms when we took this leap into the unknown.

“This year has been one the hardest years of my life, and I am incredibly proud of what we have achieved here for this short time.

“My personal circumstances are very different now to when we opened, and the shop is no longer viable.

“While this is the end of our chapter here in Wellington, we will continue to attend events, including comic cons and festivals in 2026, and we will be back with a bigger shop somewhere new and exciting in a couple of years, with some time to plan.

“So long, and thanks for all the fish.”

The shop failed to re-open after Christmas and joins a recent Wellington closure list including the former WH Smith premises, rebranded last summer as TG Jones, and Monument Bathroom Co.

On social media, Aidan said: “Over the coming weeks I will be adapting to reflect the lack of physical shop, and post a calendar of events you can find us at for 2026.

“I will also post what we will be bringing with us to those events.

“I am still happy to source books and post out, or deliver if local.

“I am also happy to do dice orders, etc.

“I will be updating the eBay shop with some dice and accessories over the coming weeks as well.”