Bookshop Day (12th October 2024) is an annual celebration of all bookshops in the UK, run by the Booksellers Association. The campaign aims to highlight the positive contribution bookshops make to their communities all year round, and celebrate bookshops not only as valuable retail spaces on our high streets, but also as places that are committed to making a positive impact, through pay it forward schemes, events that bring authors and readers together, cultivating treasured venues for the community to gather, and so much more.
To celebrate this year’s Bookshop Day, we asked members of our team to share their favourite bookshops, and why, and here are their answers:
Sian Chapman, Senior Production Manager
“I have two favourites – my local The Cowbridge Bookshop where Ross the owner is always knowledgeable with recommendations for every taste and will even post the book through my letterbox the next day if it’s not in stock. Then there’s Griffin Books in Penarth, where Mel has created a wonderful treasure trove of a bookshop, brimming with books as well as bookish gifts and cards, they regularly organise literary events and author visits as well as a number of book clubs including an excellent one for teens.”
Alun Richards, Associate Editor
“Bookcase in Carlisle is the best kind of second-hand bookshop, featuring rooms within rooms and corridors that spiral in on themselves. I’ve found so many gems and curiosities here, from a bizarre collection of short stories by Bertrand Russell to the world’s most unauthorised Paul McCartney photobook. It’s also attached to a small but lovingly curated first-hand bookshop called Bookends.”
Kate Horton, Institutional Sales Manager
“My favourite bookshop is Blackwell’s Broad Street, Oxford. The first time I went I was working for Sage, from the outside I didn’t know what everyone was going on about – it has quite a small exterior. Then I walked in and my mind was blown! I also managed to bag a tour of the original Mr. Blackwell’s office and see some of their rarest books…very special.”
Zoë Turner, Marketing Coordinator
“I love the second hand bookshop at the back of The Art of Tea in Didsbury – it’s where you can find anything from an illustrated book on British glassware throughout history, to that one Tessa Hadley novel you’ve not read yet. It smells dusty, the stacks are precarious, and you can go and get cake once you’ve chosen your new read.”
Annabel Holland, Publishing Support Assistant
“My favourite bookshop was, which sadly is no more, Black Gull Books in East Finchley. The shop was a tiny cave with eclectic second-hand volumes of specialist and popular works, as well as old postcards, and posters. It was a great place for a rummage, the booksellers were kind and knowledgeable, and it will be missed – so support your local independent bookshops!
Judd Books in King’s Cross is also really worth the visit. The shopfront, with market boxes filled with books, feels like going back in time, and I doubt the interior has been updated since the place opened in 1992. There are piles and piles of discount and second-hand books in this place, which form narrow walkways over the upstairs and basement rooms. The overwhelming number of books in such a small place makes this a difficult place to navigate whilst wearing a backpack, but its crammed and makeshift bookshelves make it worth the time.”
Siobhán Poole, Senior Commissioning Editor
“My favourite indie is my local bookshop in Abingdon, Mostly Books. It’s a lovely little bookshop, small but packed to the rafters with an excellent selection of books to browse and they have a lovely children’s section as well. The staff are always friendly and happy to chat about what they’ve been reading. They run a great range of community events and in the run up to Christmas have run late night sessions in which you can come and do your shopping with a glass of wine and cake.”
Mariana Mouzinho, Trade Sales Executive
“As an honorary Geordie, I feel like I must flag the North East as a whole, as the growth of indie bookshops over the last 5-10 years has been nothing short of incredible, and I am proud to say that many of our bookshops are now destinations in and of themselves. One of the most recent additions to this, and a personal favourite, is Collected in Durham, who specialise in books written by women. With beautifully curated sections, booksellers with incredible taste in books, and a vibrant events programme, Collected has made a mark in the two years since they moved into their current location by the river and is a must-visit for anyone in the area. And if you happen to be in Durham, you should definitely also pop in to People’s Bookshop, a radical bookshop and community hub with brand new premises right in the city centre!”