Book-ish to open second shop in Wales

Indie book store Book-ish – which won Independent Bookshop of the Year at the 2020 British Book Awards – is poised to open a second location in Wales. 

Store owners Emma and Andrew Corfield-Walters have been running Book-ish in the village of Crickhowell since 2010. They’ve now launched a crowdfunder to support the opening of a new premises in Abergavenny. 

Emma told The Bookseller: “We’re very excited about our expansion plans and are looking forward to becoming part of the community in Abergavenny. As we’ve been the food festival booksellers for the past two years and regularly hold events in venues throughout the town, it feels like a natural move. It’s only six miles away from Crickhowell, but a very different town. We’ll share some customers and very much look forward to meeting new ones.”

In 2010, Book-ish opened its first space on the High Street in Crickhowell, before moving to another location on the same road in 2017. In 2021, they crowdfunded to buy the property, raising an impressive £27,830. 

This time, the pair hope to raise £8,000 to fund the new store, which will be located at 55A, Frogmore Street. They have plans to open in late March or early April, with TV presenter Kate Humble already in line to cut the ribbon.

Emma added: “Our move comes at a challenging time in retail, so we know it’s a bold step, but as the right unit in the right location came up for rent, we felt we couldn’t let the opportunity pass us by. The crowdfunder will help get us started, and help cover costs such as solicitors fees and the shop refit. But more than that, we know our followers and supporters enjoy being part of our story and it’s also a way of giving our crowd some sense of ownership of their local bookshop.”