SPONSOR
DESCRIPTION
Gardners has been involved as an integral link in the book supply chain for more than
INDEPENDENT BOOKSHOP OF THE YEAR THE BOOKERY
THE SHORTLIST
Bookbugs and Dragon Tales EAST OF ENGLAND
Book-ish WALES
Burley Fisher Books LONDON
The Edinburgh Bookshop SCOTLAND
The Haslemere Bookshop SOUTH-EAST ENGLAND
Forum Books NORTH OF ENGLAND
ISLAND OF IRELAND
Wonderland Bookshop MIDLANDS
T
he nine bookshops on this shortlist are winners in their own right, having triumphed at the regional rounds of this award, and the judges saluted
their inspiring achievements. “In the teeth of a pandemic, UK bookselling is getting better and better… the professionalism and customer focus are outstanding.” From the nine, it is community-owned The
Bookery in Crediton, champion in the south-west England region, that scoops the overall prize and the £5,000 from sponsor Gardners that comes with it—it is also the Children’s Bookseller of the Year (see p29). The wins are rewards for The Bookery’s phenomenal work—not just as a bookseller but as a force for good in its area. Lockdowns could have wrecked the start of
2021 for the shop, but as at many indies, the team rolled their sleeves up and got on with things, delivering orders by foot and bike, running virtual
shop tours and book clubs, and completing a striking rebrand with the help of illustrator Sarah McIntyre. In-person author events returned as restrictions eased, along with the wide range of outreach work that staff and volunteers conduct in schools and in partnership with local charities, children’s homes and food banks. A crowdfunding campaign and support from publishers and local businesses led to giveaways of books, including hundreds of copies of Marcus Rashford and Carl Anka’s You Are a Champion. All of The Bookery’s key numbers increased
sharply over 2021—turnover was up by two- thirds, website visits trebled, and users of book subscriptions and the loyalty scheme both doubled—but it’s only half the story. As the judges put it: “The Bookery sells books, but that doesn’t scratch the surface of what it achieves. It’s a stunning community bookshop and it makes people’s lives better.”
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