'It's as much about community as selling books'

Pootling around a bookshop is the perfect Sunday afternoon for many but, according to the Booksellers Association, the number of independent stores in the UK declined in 2024.

Yorkshire has bucked the trend, with two new businesses opening in the past year and Leeds-based The Little Bookshop's Skipton branch celebrating its first anniversary.

Co-owner Hannah Limming, 39, says the key to success for independent bookstores is building a community of readers.

She says: "We have a load of wonderful customers who are as in love with books as we are. And, since we opened, our focus has all been on experience and knowledge.

"Our booksellers are incredible. I don't even know how they read the amount they do and they're able to advise customers in a way other places or the internet couldn't."

The store opened its first outlet in the suburb of Chapel Allerton in 2017. The three owners chose the north Leeds location because they wanted a shop in their community.

Ms Limming says: "The first shop was a passion project. The people who live here love that independent shop spirit so we sit nicely within those high streets.

"Once we had built that shop we knew we wanted a second one. We certainly didn't want to go into an area that already had an independent bookshop and Skipton seemed like a great location for us to get to know a whole new customer base."

She adds that events have been key to building a loyal base of support.

"We have everything from children's book subscriptions to a silent book club.

"We do author events across both of the stores, children's craft pop-ins all the way through the holidays and story times."

But it's also about making sure there's something for everyone on the shelves.

"We're really proud of the stock we sell. It's super diverse. We like to think anybody of any age can come into the shop and see themselves reflected in the books.

"We have everything from talking lions to books about bereavement, to culture and philosophy, to an excellent murder mystery."

From a business perspective, Ms Limming says she's hoping the downturn is "more of a levelling out than a dip", but she says running a bookshop comes with its own challenges.

"You have to be passionate about reading and customer service. I hope there will always be a future in bookselling and books on the high street and there's lots of positive signs that point towards that."

Diane Park, 65, runs Waves of Nostalgia in Haworth. The shop has been open for nine years but has been a books specialist for four.

It originally sold vintage and upcycled clothing, and transitioned to focus on books after lockdown when they became the shop's bestselling products.

Mrs Park says the move has quadrupled sales.

"I turned to the thing that was selling the most and was most accessible. In times of trouble, people turn to books. It's escapism. It's magic.

"The shop is based on three things: strong women, conservation, which is my passion, and LGBTQ+ issues."

She agrees with Ms Limming that booksellers need to be knowledgeable and build a rapport with customers.

She says: "We are booksellers and we recommend books. That's why people come back.

"People come to the shop, they meet us, they see how passionate we are. They see what our choices are and they just keep using us."

She adds the bookshop's success is also about its location – Haworth is home to many independent stores, but it's also a tourist destination.

"It's such a wonderful place. Because we're in the home of the Brontë sisters, that is a bit of a pull. It's a centre for literature."

In Sheffield, Sophie Rowe, 28, is celebrating two and half years at the helm of Hillsborough Books.

The store began as a pop-up in 2022 and opened its permanent space in September 2023.

Despite having a background in bookselling and children's literature, Ms Rowe says opening a shop in the current climate has brought challenges.

She says: "Running a bookshop is kind of the pipe dream of everyone - go live in a forest and run a bookshop and have a coffee shop and just read books all day.

"A lot of people think I just sit and read books, which is sadly not true.

"It's scary to think people are shutting but from being in the Booksellers Association, I know a lot of that is retirement."

She echoes Ms Limming and Mrs Park that community and events outside of everyday bookselling are needed in the current economic climate.

She says: "We're very much trying to mirror the community.

"We work a lot with local schools. We do a free story time every week. We've done draw-alongs. We've had children's events. We're looking to do adults events. We've done book fairs, we've done parents' evenings.

"It's as much about being a part of the community than it is about selling books."

And so what about the A word? Amazon is not popular among the bookselling community but it can't be ignored.

Mrs Park says at first she was concerned about the big online retailers, but now she is confident Waves of Nostalgia offers something Amazon and Waterstones can't.

She says: "Because I'm knowledgeable and I curate the bookshop, people will still want to come to a physical bookshop to talk to you."

Ms Rowe says there's a place for both. In fact, she even has her own Kindle.

"People do sit on screens. But from my experience, so many people are going back to the original.

"Like with vinyl. You know they'll stream music, but they'll also listen to their record and the same thing is kind of happening with books.

"There's been a resurgence of people who want a physical book."

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