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Bookshop Stories

Tom Idle

Bookshop Stories shines a light on the people, businesses, and future of independent bookshops.

In each episode, we speak to people who run bookshops around the world about the reality of the business, the role their shops play in their communities, and what the future of bookselling actually looks like.

If you love books and bookshops, this is the podcast for you (there's plenty of chat about books, authors and recommended reads).

But if you're interested in business, appreciate culture and value local community (whatever that is), you will find plenty to love too.

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Yesterday · 1 hr 12 min
Episode 13 | Can a bookshop change the reading culture of an entire town?: Richard Drake and Melanie Greenwood, Drake The Bookshop (Stockton-on-Tees)
Richard Drake and Melanie Greenwood never planned to become booksellers. Richard was a maths and PE teacher, Mel worked in environmental policy, and Drake The Bookshop began after a visit to a bookshop café in Penrith planted an idea that refused to go away. Eleven years later, their independent bookshop has become part of the fabric of Stockton-on-Tees. In this episode of Bookshop Stories, Richard and Mel talk about building Drake from a tiny start-up space into the bookshop it is today, surviving some incredibly difficult years for Stockton town centre, and creating a shop shaped by the people who use it. But our conversation also explores a bigger question: who gets to think of themselves as a reader? We talk about why children stop reading, whether adults sometimes take the pleasure out of books, the impact of bringing authors into local schools, and why Richard and Mel want more people in Stockton not only to read, but to feel that reading belongs to them. It’s a conversation about books, education, belonging and the relationship between an independent bookshop and the town outside its door. Bookshop Stories goes behind the shelves of independent bookshops to meet the people who run them and explore the realities of bookselling, running a small business and keeping independent bookshops alive. Follow Bookshop Stories on ⁠Instagram⁠ for photographs and stories from each shop, and subscribe to the Bookshop Stories ⁠Substack⁠ for the articles accompanying every episode. You can also browse books recommended by guests throughout the series at the Bookshop Stories ⁠Bookshop.org⁠ storefront. Buying through the storefront supports independent bookshops, while also providing a small commission that helps support Bookshop Stories.
October 2 · 1 hr 1 min
Episode 12 | Romance isn’t a trend. But are romance bookshops?: Cassie Simmons, Main Character Books (London)
Romance is booming, and a string of romance-only bookshops are opening across the UK. But is this the beginning of a lasting change in bookselling – or are we watching a bubble form? For Episode 12 of Bookshop Stories, Tom meets Cassie Simmons, founder of Main Character Books, the romance specialist in London’s Spitalfields Market. Cassie’s route into bookselling was far from conventional. A former patent lawyer who spent years building a successful legal career, she eventually walked away from it to create the kind of physical space she felt romance readers were missing. They talk about the lingering snobbery around romance, the influence of BookTok, why readers increasingly want physical communities as well as online ones, and what a specialist bookshop can offer that even the biggest general bookseller cannot. But with the number of romance bookshops growing rapidly, Cassie is also refreshingly candid about the risks. Does the huge value of the romance publishing market really translate into viable independent bookshops? How much specialisation is too much? And what happens when everybody else spots the same opportunity? Plus: book tourism, “trophy copies”, the realities of running a shop in central London, the strange requests Cassie receives from brands – and Smut Club, Main Character’s wildly popular open-mic night. It’s a conversation about romance, community and what happens when an online reading phenomenon becomes a bricks-and-mortar business. You’re gonna love it. Follow Bookshop Stories Bookshop Stories goes behind the shelves of independent bookshops to meet the people who run them and explore the realities of bookselling, running a small business and keeping independent bookshops alive. Follow Bookshop Stories on Instagram for photographs and stories from each shop, and subscribe to the Bookshop Stories Substack for the articles accompanying every episode. You can also browse books recommended by guests throughout the series at the Bookshop Stories Bookshop.org storefront. Buying through the storefront supports independent bookshops, while also providing a small commission that helps support Bookshop Stories. rex-verify-ofirav5nnmql
September 25 · 1 hr 4 min
Episode 11 | Meet the accidental bookseller (and accidental author): Shaun Bythell, The Bookshop (Wigtown, Scotland)
Shaun Bythell never particularly wanted a career. After graduating with a law degree, he deliberately avoided anything resembling one, spending his twenties working on gas pipelines, planting trees, building dry-stone walls and taking temporary jobs. Then, aged 30, he went home to Wigtown for Christmas and the owner of the local secondhand bookshop asked if he fancied buying it. Twenty-five years later, Shaun still owns The Bookshop, now Scotland’s largest secondhand bookshop, and that accidental career has taken another unexpected turn. His bestselling Diary of a Bookseller series has made him one of Britain’s best-known booksellers and brought readers from around the world to Wigtown – although Shaun remains reluctant to describe himself as a writer, preferring “a bookseller who’s written some books”. With his latest instalment, Return of The Bookseller Diarist, out 8 Oct RRP £25 (New Modern Arcade), published on 8 October, I talk to Shaun about the strange path that took him from determined career avoidance to bookselling and authorship, what he has learned from handling millions of books, and why, despite everything his diaries might suggest about customers, he still can’t imagine a job he would enjoy more. We also get into the peculiar economics and “dark arts” of secondhand bookselling, the customers who have inadvertently provided years of literary material, the changing fortunes of Wigtown, and the unexpected international success that means people now travel thousands of miles hoping to find Shaun behind the counter. Plus, Shaun tackles the Bookshop Stories quick-fire questions, revealing the best book he’s ever read, the most valuable book he’s ever handled and the strangest thing he’s discovered being used as a bookmark. Follow Bookshop Stories Bookshop Stories goes behind the shelves of independent bookshops to meet the people who run them and explore the realities of bookselling, running a small business and keeping independent bookshops alive. Follow Bookshop Stories on Instagram for photographs and stories from each shop, and subscribe to the Bookshop Stories Substack for the articles accompanying every episode. You can also browse books recommended by guests throughout the series at the Bookshop Stories Bookshop.org storefront. Buying through the storefront supports independent bookshops, while also providing a small commission that helps support Bookshop Stories.
September 18 · 1 hr 1 min
Episode 10 | Can a bookshop replace the pub? Vicki Shenkin Kerr, Bàrd Books (London)
When Vicki Shenkin Kerr opened Bàrd Books on Roman Road in East London, she wanted to create more than somewhere to buy books. Drawing on 20 years working in hospitality, she imagined a neighbourhood space where people could browse, drink coffee, stay for a glass of wine, meet friends, hear poetry, play chess or simply spend some time. Two years later, Bàrd has become exactly that – and Vicki has discovered just how deeply a bookshop can become part of people’s social lives. In this episode of Bookshop Stories, Vicki talks about swapping hospitality for bookselling, funding the shop with a personal loan after the banks said no, building much of Bàrd with friends and family, and creating a team that has helped shape the shop in its own image. We also talk about the economics of making an independent bookshop work in London, why Bàrd stays open into the evening, the unexpected return of books and reading as something genuinely cool, and what happens when the community begins to feel that your bookshop belongs to them too. Plus, Vicki shares the books she loves, the title she has sold more copies of than any other, and the book she would give away with every purchase if she were a millionaire. Follow Bookshop Stories Bookshop Stories goes behind the shelves of independent bookshops to meet the people who run them and explore the realities of bookselling, running a small business and keeping independent bookshops alive. Follow Bookshop Stories on Instagram for photographs and stories from each shop, and subscribe to the Bookshop Stories Substack for the articles accompanying every episode. You can also browse books recommended by guests throughout the series at the Bookshop Stories Bookshop.org storefront. Buying through the storefront supports independent bookshops, while also providing a small commission that helps support Bookshop Stories.
September 11 · 1 hr 2 min
Episode 9 | Can honesty save a bookshop?: Georgia Eckert, Imagined Things (Harrogate, Yorkshire)
What happens when a bookshop owner admits that business is going badly? In 2018, Georgia Eckert closed out a particularly quiet day at Imagined Things, her independent bookshop in Harrogate, having taken just £12.34. Rather than quietly worrying about it, she did something business owners are often told not to do: she told everyone. Her tweet went viral. Authors shared it, journalists called, customers travelled from across the country and thousands of people contacted the shop wanting to help. Georgia believes it may have saved the business. But the story of Imagined Things is about much more than one extraordinary day on the internet. Georgia tells Tom about leaving a secure career as an NHS radiographer to open Harrogate’s first independent bookshop in almost 20 years; why the original Imagined Things was beautiful but almost impossible to find; the realities of building a business without any previous bookselling experience; and why she later asked her customers to help crowdfund the shop’s move to a bigger, more prominent home. They also talk about the art and science of choosing what deserves space on the shelves, the books that surprise her, becoming a mum while running a small business, and why buying from an independent bookshop can amount to something much bigger than simply buying a book. Bookshop Stories is hosted by writer and bookshop obsessive Tom Idle, exploring the people, decisions, risks and realities behind independent bookshops. Follow Bookshop Stories on Instagram and Substack for more from the series, and browse books recommended by guests at the Bookshop Stories store on Bookshop.org.
September 4 · 1 hr 5 min
Episode 8 | How do you reinvent a 50-year-old bookshop? Cathy Hayward, Kemptown Bookshop (Brighton)
What do you do when you take over a bookshop that has already survived for half a century? Kemptown Bookshop in Brighton celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2026. It opened in 1976 and, remarkably, Cathy Hayward is only the third owner in its history. When Cathy bought the independent bookshop in 2022, she inherited much more than shelves full of books: there were established customers, experienced staff, decades of history and a particular idea of what Kemptown Bookshop was. Cathy had never worked as a bookseller. A former business journalist and founder of a PR agency, she was already pursuing another long-held ambition to become a novelist when she discovered that one of her local bookshops was for sale. She wasn't looking to buy one, didn't have the money to buy it and admits that, once she'd fallen in love with the idea, she probably didn't ask enough questions before signing on the dotted line. Four years later, Cathy has gradually reshaped Kemptown Bookshop to reflect both the neighbourhood it serves and her own ideas about what an independent bookshop can be. In this episode of Bookshop Stories, we talk about the delicate balance between preserving the character of a much-loved local business and recognising when it needs to change. Cathy explains how she reconsidered the books on the shelves, expanded the shop's LGBTQ+ literature and selection from independent publishers, introduced a café and created a programme of events designed to give people more reasons to spend time there. That includes one of the more unusual bookshop events I've encountered during this series: Kemptown Bookshop's 5am Writing Club. What began as an experiment on the summer solstice in 2023 has become a monthly gathering, with writers sometimes queuing outside before five in the morning before settling down to write together as Brighton wakes up around them. Cathy is also wonderfully candid about the less romantic side of buying an existing bookshop: negotiating a commercial lease when you don't really know what you're doing, choosing the wrong professional advisers, discovering problems with VAT and cashflow, dealing with rising employment costs, and learning why enthusiasm for owning a beautiful bookshop still has to be accompanied by a viable business model. We also talk about Cathy's unusual working life and how she has gradually managed to make books the thread connecting almost everything she does. Alongside owning Kemptown Bookshop, she is a published novelist, teaches creative writing and continues to write her own fiction — often getting up at 5am to produce her first thousand words before the working day begins. And, as Kemptown Bookshop reaches its 50th birthday, Cathy reflects on what it means to be the temporary guardian of a business that existed long before she arrived and which she hopes will continue long after she eventually leaves. Bookshop Stories goes behind the shelves of independent bookshops to meet the people who run them and explore the realities of bookselling, running a small business and keeping independent bookshops alive. Follow us on Instagram for photographs and stories from each shop, and subscribe to the Bookshop Stories Substack for the articles accompanying every episode. You can also browse books recommended by guests throughout the series at our Bookshop.org storefront. Buying through the storefront supports independent bookshops, while also providing a small commission that helps support Bookshop Stories.
August 28 · 59 min
Episode 7 | Should you ever open a bookshop with your mum?: Linda Furniss and James Firth, The Stripey Badger Bookshop (Grassington, Yorkshire)
What happens when your mum's lifelong dream becomes your career? Linda Furniss had wanted to own a bookshop since she was five years old. Her son James Firth had just finished an astrophysics degree and needed a job. It was James who eventually persuaded Linda that if she was ever going to open the bookshop she'd spent decades imagining, she needed to do it now. So, in 2018, they opened The Stripey Badger Bookshop in Grassington, in the Yorkshire Dales. Nine years later, they've learned a great deal about bookselling – and about what happens when a mother and son become business partners. In this episode of Bookshop Stories, we talk about Linda's terror during their first year, why James became the one reassuring her that the business was working, and the problems that arise when two people whose minds work almost identically try to serve customers together. We also talk about falling out and walking out, their very different approaches to switching off from the business, how they've supported one another through difficult periods, and why both Linda and James believe owning the Stripey Badger has given them greater confidence. Plus, we hear about the day-to-day realities of running a bookshop in one of Yorkshire's most popular tourist destinations, and what happens when your shop is periodically transformed into a greengrocer for the filming of All Creatures Great and Small. You can find books recommended by Linda and James and other guests, alongside some of my own choices, at the Bookshop Stories store on Bookshop.org. And for more from Bookshop Stories, including the companion article to this episode, subscribe on Substack.
August 21 · 56 min
Episode 6 | What it takes to survive 50 years in bookselling: Ron Johns, Falmouth Bookseller, Cornwall
What does it take to survive more than 50 years as an independent bookseller? Ron Johns started working in the book trade in 1969. Five years later, armed with £800 borrowed from his dad, he opened his first bookshop in Plymouth. Today, at 74, Ron runs three independent bookshops in Cornwall – the Falmouth Bookseller, St Ives Bookseller and Padstow Bookseller – as well as his own publishing company, Mabecron Books. Along the way, he has survived recessions, Amazon, the arrival of Kindle and the collapse of the academic bookselling market that had once provided him with a million-pound business. He has bought bookshops when unexpected opportunities appeared, become a publisher almost by accident, and partnered with Rick Stein to open in Padstow. Ron describes much of it as luck. But after more than half a century in business, his story also reveals the importance of knowing when to take a chance, when to change direction and when to let the next generation take the lead. In this episode of Bookshop Stories, we talk about the commercial reality behind running an independent bookshop, why all businesses are fragile, the importance of being “fleet of foot”, and what Ron has learned from spending almost his entire working life selling books. We also discuss why good booksellers should be “radiators” rather than “fridges”, whether technology can ever replace the person behind the counter, why Ron thinks an A-board can still beat social media – and why, after all these years, he would do it all again. You can find books recommended by Ron and other guests, alongside some of my own choices, at the Bookshop Stories store on Bookshop.org. And for more from Bookshop Stories, including the companion article to this episode, subscribe on Substack.
August 14 · 1 hr 9 min
Episode 5 | Can you build a bookshop simply around your own tastes?: Seb Reilly, Plunder (Ramsgate, Kent)
Most businesses start by asking what their customers want. Seb Reilly did the opposite. After leaving what he calls a "proper job", Seb opened Plunder in Ramsgate: a pirate-themed independent bookshop, tearoom and immersive smugglers' museum. He didn't commission market research, chase publishing trends or try to stock every bestseller. Instead, he built the place he wanted to spend time in, filled the shelves with books he genuinely loves and trusted that the right people would find it. It's an approach that seems to fly in the face of conventional business advice, yet a year after opening, Plunder has become one of Ramsgate's most distinctive independent businesses. In this episode, Seb talks about choosing conviction over trends, why he wants to "be more pirate", the surprising history of smuggling on the Kent coast, and what it means to build not just a bookshop, but a destination. We also discuss: Why Ramsgate was the obvious place to open an unusual business Building a pirate-themed bookshop, tearoom and museum under one roof Curating shelves around passion rather than publishing trends How independent businesses can help reshape a town's identity Why "be more pirate" has become a philosophy for life and business Seb's book recommendations: 📖 The Last Man by Mary Shelley – the overlooked novel Seb believes surpasses Frankenstein, and one he recommends more than any other. 📖 Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy – Seb's favourite novel of all time. About Bookshop Stories Bookshop Stories explores the people behind independent bookshops and the places they call home. Follow the podcast for future episodes, and read the companion essay for this episode on the Bookshop Stories Substack.
August 7 · 46 min
Bookshop Stories Episode 4 | Can you build a home a long way from home?: Andrea Moreau, Read The Room (Nice, France)
What does it take to open an independent English-language bookshop in the South of France? For Andrea Moreau, the answer began with a move from South Africa to Nice to be closer to her grown-up children. Less than two years later, she and her daughter, Danae, had opened Read The Room – an independent English-language bookshop and café just beyond Nice's historic old town. In this episode of Bookshop Stories, Andrea shares the remarkable story behind that leap of faith, from finding the perfect premises almost by accident to creating a space where tourists, expats and French locals gather over books, coffee and conversation. We talk about the realities of running a bookshop abroad, why Read The Room introduced a no-laptop policy, how a tiny retail space has become a thriving community hub, and why books continue to bring people together across cultures and languages. More than anything, this is a conversation about belonging. About leaving one home behind, building another somewhere completely unfamiliar, and discovering that sometimes the people who walk through your door become family. In this episode we discuss: Why Andrea left South Africa for the French Riviera Opening Read The Room with her daughter, Danae Running an English-language bookshop in France Finding readers in both the local French community and among visitors to Nice Why Read The Room banned laptops Building community through books, coffee and conversation The commercial realities of independent bookselling Books and authors mentioned The Cutthroat Trial, The Secret Barrister London Falling, Patrick Radden Keefe Yesteryear, Caro Claire Burke If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a rating or review—it really helps others discover the show. You can also follow Bookshop Stories on Instagram and subscribe on Substack for companion articles, behind-the-scenes stories and updates from the independent bookshops we visit.
July 23 · 1 hr
Bookshop Stories Episode 3 | Can opening a bookshop help you find a new direction?: Jacqui Delbaere, Little Green Bookshop (Herne Bay, Kent)
When Jacqui Delbaere opened The Little Green Bookshop in Herne Bay, she wasn't simply fulfilling a lifelong dream of owning a bookshop. She was responding to a moment in life when everything had changed. After a career in public relations, her children leaving home and the end of her marriage, Jacqui found herself asking a question many of us face at different points in our lives: what comes next? In this episode of Bookshop Stories, Jacqui reflects on creating not just an independent bookshop, but an entirely new chapter. We explore the realities of opening a bookshop from scratch, how she turned an old physiotherapy clinic into one of Kent's most welcoming literary spaces, and why independent bookshops can become so much more than places to buy books. Along the way we discuss: Why owning a bookshop had always been quietly waiting in the background Creating a space that feels like someone's front room rather than a shop Learning the realities of stock management, cashflow and running an independent business Building a community through author events, book clubs and Herne Bay's first literary festival Why greeting cards sometimes matter as much as bestselling novels The impact AI could have on bookselling Why Jacqui now describes the Little Green Bookshop as "life part two" Whether you've always dreamed of owning a bookshop, love discovering independent bookshops, or are simply interested in stories of people finding a new direction, I hope you'll enjoy this conversation. Books and authors mentioned in this episode: The Safekeep — Yael van der Wouden All Fours — Miranda July Clare Chambers Jonathan Coe Jacqueline Wilson Katherine Rundell James Rebanks Robert Macfarlane Bookshop Stories is a podcast exploring the people behind Britain's independent bookshops and the stories that shaped them. If you enjoy the episode, please follow the podcast and leave a rating or review. You can also find companion articles, recommendations and behind-the-scenes reflections at the Bookshop Stories Substack.
July 23 · 56 min
Bookshop Stories Episode 2 | Can a creative writer make a better bookseller?: Lucy Atkinson, Back of Beyond Books (Sedgefield, County Durham)
Lucy Atkinson imagined her future surrounded by books, but not quite like this. After completing a PhD in English and Creative Writing, specialising in historical witchcraft in fiction, Lucy expected to continue writing and researching stories. Instead, she spotted an empty shop in the County Durham town where she'd grown up, realised it was the only thing Sedgefield was missing, and decided to open an independent bookshop. In this episode of Bookshop Stories, Tom is with Back of Beyond Books to explore a question that sits at the heart of Lucy’s story: does spending years studying stories make you a better bookseller, or is it only through introducing books to other people that you really begin to understand them? We talk about Lucy’s unusual route into bookselling, growing up with dyslexia and discovering stories through video games before falling in love with reading, why northern writers deserve a bigger spotlight, the responsibility of curating books for a community, and the challenges booksellers face in the age of artificial intelligence. Along the way, Lucy explains why she wanted her shop to feel like a cross between The Traitors castle and Gilmore Girls, why her father was convinced the business would never work, how book-themed cakes have become one of the shop’s unexpected attractions, and why she's happy to spend her days helping other people discover great stories rather than writing one of her own. It’s a conversation about books, certainly, but it’s also about creativity, curation, community and the many different ways stories shape our lives. Books, authors and recommendations from this episode The Ending Writes Itself by Evelyn Clarke The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR) by Sarah J. Maas My Friends by Fredrik Backman The Lady Upstairs by Jessie Elland The Pale Mistress by Naomi Kelsey The Wives of Halcyon by Irini Lapatecki Lizzie Pook, Lucy Rose and Neil Gaiman If you enjoy Bookshop Stories, please follow the podcast and leave a review. You can also read my accompanying essays about the people and places behind each episode on the Bookshop Stories Substack.
July 23 · 52 min
Bookshop Stories Episode 1 | The fourteen-year dream: Emily Partridge and Black Cat Books (Launceston, Cornwall)
For fourteen years, Emily Partridge dreamed of opening a bookshop. While working in education, she imagined creating a place where people could browse, discover new authors, sit with a cup of tea and lose themselves among the shelves. Like so many long-held ambitions, though, it was always something for “one day” – until redundancy forced a decision that would change her life. In this, the very first episode of Bookshop Stories, we’re with Black Cat Books in Launceston, Cornwall, to hear how Emily turned a fourteen-year dream into reality and what she’s learned during the first eighteen months of running an independent bookshop. Our conversation explores the realities of modern bookselling, from six-day working weeks, social media and stocking decisions to the economics of running a small business on Britain’s high street. Along the way, Emily shares the story of a century-old prayer book that perfectly captures why she loves second-hand books, explains why her coffee machine is called Raymond, introduces us to Spook – the black cat who has become something of a local celebrity – and reflects on how Black Cat Books has grown into far more than somewhere to buy a novel. This is a conversation about books, certainly, but it's also about community, purpose, independent businesses, and what happens when you finally decide to stop talking about a dream and start living it. Books, authors and recommendations from this episode: Gorse and Ragwort by Sam K. Horton Folk horror writers, David Barnett and Jodie Matthews Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë Jane Austen, Charles Dickens and Maggie O'Farrell The Wicker Man (as an introduction to folk horror) Follow Bookshop Stories for new conversations with independent booksellers from across the UK and beyond.
July 23 · 3 min
Bookshop Stories – Trailer
Bookshop Stories shines a light on the people, businesses, and future of independent bookshops. In each episode, we speak to people who run bookshops around the world about the reality of the business, the role their shops play in their communities, and what the future of bookselling actually looks like. If you love books and bookshops, this is the podcast for you (there's plenty of chat about books, authors and recommended reads). But if you're interested in business, appreciate culture and value local community (whatever that is), you will find plenty to love too. In this trailer, your host Tom Idle explains what he's doing, why he's doing it, and why you might want to tune in.

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