Meet the people behind three of Britain's great independent bookstores | books

Despite the odds, independent bookstores seem to be holding their own. According to the Booksellers Association (BA), the number of indie bookstores in the UK and Ireland will reach 1,072 stores in 2022, the highest in a decade. This year's figures are slightly down, but overall there are 1,063 indie bookshops selling books, bucking the high street trend for almost a decade, a BA spokesperson says, especially when you take into account the 2016 figure of 867 stores. As Independent Bookshop Week, an annual event that this year sees 100 events and 700 stores taking part, comes to a close, we're highlighting three of the UK's independent bookshops.

Berwyn Bookshop, north Wales

Few bookstores have had as dramatic a departure as the Berwyn Bookshop, run by Emma and Adam Littler. Three years ago, the couple was working at a warehouse-based retailer specializing in used and collectible books, rather than a bookstore.

Then, in November 2021, a fire broke out in the warehouse and most of the inventory (approximately 400,000 volumes) was lost. This also included extremely rare items, such as a book signed by Queen Victoria when she presented it to her ladies-in-waiting.

The owner then gave up the business and the Littlers decided to take over. We moved and pivoted toward a new business model, keeping our existing dealership name and the small amount of inventory that had been rescued from the fire.

Adam and Emma Littler in the bookstore. Photo: Berwyn Bookstore

Berwyn Bookstore is now based in a former community center in a residential area near Mold. The couple primarily trades in used and collectible books through the online portal AbeBooks. But now the store also sells new books and hosts a wealth of events with authors including Lisa Jewell, MW Craven and Victoria Hislop.

Emma, ​​31, admits we look different from traditional stores. And when we first started, it was a bit of a challenge to persuade writers to come to our former community center in Mold. But the support we have received from authors and publishers has been tremendous.

In the wake of the devastating fire, the community came together and donated books to replenish lost stocks. But Littlers opened its new premises at the height of the Covid pandemic, at a time when movement in Wales was severely restricted by local lockdowns.

We had no idea how we could make it work or even make it work after the fire, but we never looked back, says Emma.

She admits that running an independent bookstore is hard work and you'll never get rich quick.

Overhead costs are high and margins on new books are tight. Of course we have to compete with Amazon and supermarkets. Sometimes, Emma adds, when a new book comes out, Amazon pays the publisher more than it sells to the public.

But people still seem to like supporting independent bookstores, and I think the value we provide in terms of author events and passion for books can only be gained from independent bookstores.

Nostalgia, West Yorkshire

Set on the picturesque cobbled Main Street in the heart of Haworth, where the Bront family took their daily strolls 200 years ago, Wave of Nostalgia is filled with literary surroundings.

Earlier this year it was named Best Independent Bookstore in the North of England at the British Book Awards, not bad for a bookstore that had no intention of becoming a bookstore at all.

Diane Park originally had a business making clothes, which she sold from her workshop in Barnoldswick, on the border between West Yorkshire and Lancashire.

Three years ago she moved to Haworth and began selling clothing, gift items and a few books under the Wave of Nostalgia banner.

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It was during lockdown and I was reading a lot when I suddenly had a lightbulb moment, Park said. If I caught up with my reading, so did many other people. And the books were bringing more and more interest to the store. Then it seemed natural that we should become a bookstore.

Park carefully curates a lightly themed store with a focus on feminism, strong women, the LGBTQ+ community, and books about conservation and environmentalism.

Since its founding, Wave of Nostalgia now has six employees and runs events from its basement and upstairs rooms.

Mr. Park said he never thought he would have to hire so many people. However, the value of an independent bookstore lies in its knowledge and passion. One person can't call a customer who wants to place an order and at the same time push a book into the customer's hand in the store and say, “You need to read this book!”

Haworth is a honeypot for tourists, which makes running the business a bit unpredictable. One day it could be full of tourists and the next, Park says, and you never know what the situation will be from one day to the next. But we seem to be a popular store with many people. They will come to Haworth to visit us, buy books or attend events sometimes two or three times a week.|

Of course, winning the accolade as the best independent bookstore in the North of England was the highlight of the year, but Park has plans to go even further at next year's awards. She said she would do her best to win the country's top independent title.

Falmouth Bookshop, CornwallFalmouth Bookshop. Photo: Falmouth Bookstore

There has been a bookstore in the heart of the Cornish port town of Falmouth for as long as anyone can remember, but for the past 30 years the Falmouth Bookseller has been part of a growing chain of Cornish bookstores started by Ron Johns. As well as the Falmouth store, Johns owns St Ives Bookseller, is a partner in Padstow Bookseller and owns Mabecron Books, a small independent publisher that mainly publishes Cornish picture books.

Housed in a 200-year-old Georgian building, Falmouth Bookseller has an eye-catching shop and a bright, airy interior. It's a great place to sell books for several reasons, says manager Eloise Rowe. She said not only does she see an absolute increase in tourism trade for Cornwall during the school holidays, but she also has a year-round customer base made up of locals and university students.

One of the biggest hurdles, says Rowe, is getting publishers to support indie bookstores. We've been doing talks and events all year, she says, but one of the new challenges is large touring event organizers doing everything in-house. This means it's becoming increasingly difficult for big authors and publicists to run events directly with indie bookstores. A few years ago we hosted an event with Michael Palin at a beautiful church in town. The event was sold out and many books were sold that night. This was huge for us and the town. But those opportunities are becoming more and more difficult. find.

That said, Rowe thinks the sector is in pretty good shape. Even though there are some big obstacles, she says Indy is a great place and our customers really value us.

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