Booksellers in England and Wales rejoice as doors are thrown open to customers

Bookshops across England and Wales flung open their doors to an “amazing” first day’s trading after lockdown on Monday (12th April), reporting queues ahead of opening hours and consistent selling across all areas, with Maggie O’Farrell’s Hamnet (Tinder Press) flagged as a particularly hot title for customers.

Booksellers have said they had seen familiar faces and welcomed new customers, with one saying it was “just like old times”.

Rebecca MacAlister, Blackwell’s Oxford area manager, said: “We have had an amazing day. From the moment we opened, our customers, both old and new, have been coming through our doors, delighted to be back and we have been delighted to welcome them back. The sheer joy we have seen and the wonderful words that we have received has made this a very special day. The best quote I’ve heard was from a student group coming in; one of them turned to their friends and said, ‘This is far better than the pubs being open again!’—and they all agreed. Today has really shown what a good bookshop does for its community.”

Waterstones reopened shops across its estate in England and Wales, in a “huge step towards normality”. Kate Skipper, chief operating officer at the chain, said: “Reopening has been utterly joyful and we’re delighted with how things have gone. There is a real buzz in high streets around the country, with both booksellers and customers delighted to be back in bookshops once again. Our booksellers have done an exceptional job to set up the shops so well and customers have been eagerly snapping up all the books they have missed during lockdown. It’s been such a tonic to hear book recommendations flying through the air once again. It’s a huge step towards normality, and we now eagerly await reopening in Scotland, Northern Ireland, Ireland and the Isle of Man.”

Ross Bradshaw, owner of Five Leaves in Nottingham, said trade had been “steady throughout the day”, reporting a stream of webshop and emailed orders for collections later in the week, but he wanted to assess the overall success of reopening at the end of the first week back. “We were surprised to see customers we had never seen before, and the average age was lower than normal,” he added. “Every customer wore a mask, everyone as far as we noticed sanitised their hands. There was a queue at the busy periods of the day, but it was self-managing.”

Sarah Dennis, manager of Mostly Books in Abingdon, had her first day at the helm of The Borzoi Bookshop in Stow-on-the-Wold, which she bought last month. She said: “The day started off with snow but the weather soon cleared and people seemed keen to get into the shops to browse. I’m pleased to say that both Mostly Books and The Borzoi have been busy all day, with a steady stream of customers coming in to browse, chat and, most importantly, buy lots of books!”

Mostly Books saw a huge volume of sales from the children’s department, with youngsters coming into the shop to spend vouchers and money they had received for Christmas and during lockdown. James said there was no single stand-out seller, but middle-grade fiction proved very popular, with people consistently browsing in the children’s room throughout the day.

“It’s probably no surprise that the paperback editions of [Douglas Stuart’s] Shuggie Bain and Hamnet flew off the shelves in adult fiction at both Mostly Books and The Borzoi, as people had been looking forward to grabbing the prize-winning books,” she said.

“At The Borzoi, there was a good mix of locals and tourists so, in addition to strong sales in both paperback and hardback fiction, we also sold some local travel books. The Adventures of Miss Barbara Pym [by Paula Byrne] just wouldn’t stay on the shelf and we also saw some strong sales in the history and military history departments.

“It’s been beyond lovely to see customers, new and old, and to have a chat. It’s something that we love to do as part of our jobs and we’ve missed it tremendously over the last few months. We’re looking forward to more of the same over the coming days and weeks.”

Bronwen Mehta opened Parade’s End Books in Kingston in November last year, shortly before the UK was ordered into a third lockdown. She said: “As a fledgling bookstore that opened during a lockdown, our first few months have been strange. Today we got to experience the true magic that being a bookstore can bring, and got a taste of all the things we have to look forward to.”

Richard Drake, owner of Drake—The Bookshop in Stockton-on-Tees, said: “What a great feeling it was being able to throw the door open today and although they were hidden by masks, there were a lot of smiles on customers’ faces throughout the day. The first customer through the door was the same first customer we had [after the first lockdown eased] in June 2020, which demonstrates not only our loyal customer base, but that we are more than just a bookshop. John calls in regularly for a chat, to ask how we are and to buy books. Being part of the community like that is so important to us and it’s what indie bookshops up and down the country do!

“There was a steady flow all day, again showing how perfect bookshop customers are. Never too many and never too few; the perfect Goldilocks amount of customers. It was a little bit weird having people open the door and just walk into the shop, but lovely nonetheless.”

Chrissy Ryan, who opened to the public for the first time since launching her books and wine shop BookBar in north London, said Monday’s trading was “absolutely brilliant”. Authors, including 2021 Costa Prize-winner Monique Roffey and Claire Lowdon, visited the Islington shop to sign copies of their books. Ryan added: “It surpassed all of our expectations. We were busy all day, and it was a complete joy to see so many people browsing, buying piles and piles of books, and socialising over a wine or coffee at tables outside. It really felt exactly how we hoped and imagined BookBar would feel! The buzz was extraordinary and I am so excited to see how the BookBar community grows over the coming months.”

Helen Stanton, manager of Forum Books in Corbidge, Northumberland, said she’ had welcomed “so many lovely customers”. Kathryn Williams, author of The Ormering Tide (Wrecking Ball Press), paid the shop a visit, while Stanton also backed a campaign encouraging Northumberland residents to shop local, which launched on the first day of shops reopening. “Not bad for a first day back,” she said, “lots of folk enjoying some spring sunshine and a beer in the pub opposite—just like old times.”