Indie bookshops win national awards amid Independent Bookshop Week celebrations

With celebrations for Independent Bookshop Week under way, a number of independent bookshops have received national awards this month, honouring the contribution they make to their local communities, their resourcefulness as small businesses and even their premises.

Aimed at the small business sector and focusing on businesses often overlooked by other awards, The Small Awards 2023 recognised The Snug Bookshop and Café in Langport, Somerset, as the winner in the Sole to Sole category. The award celebrates the best self-employed small business owner.

Established in 2018, the bookshop was created by female founder and owner Sam Carr, who decided to follow her dream to open an indie bookshop. The Snug Bookshop and Café is community-led, community-driven and aims to provide a safe space for everyone.

Meanwhile, the Muddy Stilettos Awards 2023 recognised local independent lifestyle businesses across the whole country, and honoured multiple shops in their Bookshop Award.

Not yet two years old, Hitchin-based Next Page Books was the winner from Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire. The children’s bookshop has a focus on inclusion and diversity, particularly neurodiversity. "We are super proud of our Herts & Beds Muddy Stilettos Award for Best Bookshop," Owners Liz Tye and Julie Anderson told The Bookseller.

"In the UK at present, many families have children with undiagnosed and unmet needs, and because of funding issues in all sorts of areas, they are left with no support at what can be the trickiest time in their lives," the owners added. "We aim to provide a safe space to talk, recommend books and find out what works for them." 

In Leicester and Rutland, Market Harborough’s Quinn’s Bookshop won the award for the third year in a row. Bookseller Danny Reid said: "We are incredibly touched and bolstered by the unwavering and overwhelming support from our customers and followers; independent bookshops ought to be a place for discussion, shared passion and community, with a carefully curated selection of titles – this is certainly what we aspire to achieve as a business and this award goes to show we’re on the right track!"

The Sam Beare Hospice Bookshop, a secondhand shop in Weybridge, Surrey, was also recognised by the awards. A spokesperson for the bookshop said: "As a secondhand bookshop, it would have been easy to have been pushed aside by another bookshop so it feels like even more of an amazing achievement. The effort that Mel Sibley and her team put into curating the books to make them as good as new, as well as the appearance and ambiance of the shop is a true testament to why they deserve this fabulous recognition."

For the seventh year, the award celebrated the Edge of the World Bookshop in Penzance, Cornwall. "We are always trying to be better and more inclusive and welcome new people into the shop," co-owner Rachael Howorth told The Bookseller. 

She added: "In the last year we have adapted our shop into an evening venue with a stage and seating for 40. This enables us to offer lots of fascinating evening events with authors talking about everything from Sea Pools to Greenham Common this year. We have also relaunched our newsletter, with lots of fun tongue-in-cheek humour which is proving to be really popular with our friends and followers."

In Devon, the award went to the East Gate Bookshop in Totnes, which had also won last year. Owners Claire and Nigel Jones commented: "What makes the award special is that it’s decided on by our customers, who are motivated enough to vote for us, and we would like to thank each and every one of them, it means so much to us to win this award."

Last week, Hold Fast Bookshop, a recently-founded bookshop on a boat, "Marjorie R", in Leeds, was awarded Flagship of the Year 2023 by National Historic Ships UK. The awards provide an opportunity to demonstrate and celebrate the value of historic vessels to the wider public, and "Marjorie R", built in 1946, was chosen in recognition of her unique offer as an independent bookshop and community base. 

Emma Bradshaw, head of campaigns at The Booksellers Association, said: “It’s great to see so many of our members being recognised for the brilliant work they are doing. We hope that this, coupled with all of the activity going on during Independent Bookshop Week, will remind consumers of the value of their local bookshops and encourage them to vote with their money for the kind of businesses they want to see in their community.”

Indie bookshops will be hosting hundreds of events and celebrations around the UK and Ireland for Independent Bookshop Week, which takes place between 17th to 24th June. During IBW, the general public is encouraged to visit and support their local indie. Bookshop.org will also be offering free shipping on any purchase made on 24th-25th June.