How indie bookshops are capturing the high street

Independent bookshops have been described as beacons of hope on the high street, showing unrivalled entrepreneurship and creativity.

They face quite the battle, with the Booksellers Association saying Amazon's sales of print books in the UK in 2020 amounted to about 50% of all print book sales.

The BBC took a look at two stores who are making a mark in their towns and saw they do much more than just selling books.

So how do the The Heath Bookshop in King's Heath, Birmingham, and That Little Bookshop in Stafford stand up to the beast that is online book shopping?

Catherine Gale and Claire Dawes met on a course that taught people how to run a bookshop in October 2021.

They now co-own The Heath Bookshop and this year won 2025 Independent Bookshop of the Year.

The shop, which opened in September 2022, is the main hub, selling books and serving coffee in a cosy building with tall shelves and large windows that look out on to a courtyard.

It sold about 12,000 books in 2025, with its top category being fiction.

They have a packed schedule of events, which they believe gives people a unique experience beyond shopping for books online.

"We normally have maybe two or three events a week… we do events in the shop but then we also hire external venues, so we might have them in the school halls locally," said Ms Gale.

"We've had events with people like author and actor Richard Armitage… the biggest event we did was at The Alexandra Theatre with singer Rick Astley for his memoir."

They also host The Heath Bookshop Literature and Music Festival, which sees them work with other independent businesses to run events.

"The bookshop isn't just about buying the books, it is about the festival, next year we've got some really exciting events with authors that we really admire," Ms Gale added.

These include Seasonal Quartet author Ali Smith, Douglas Stuart, best known for his debut Shuggie Bain, and Midnight Library writer Matt Haig.

"Being able to bring authors that people really admire is not something that they're not going to get from other retailers on the high street."

They have also worked to embed themselves in the local community.

"We do a menopause café, we do a death café where people can sit round tables with a cup of tea in a safe space and talk about their experiences and learn from others… that a massive thing for people," said Ms Dawes.

"I don't think there's many places that you would just have a conversation with a stranger."

Ms Gale added: "One thing that's important to us is… trying to be as inclusive as possible, we try to represent, in our events, every kind of person and people that might be from the area."

"We're part of events like Queens Heath Pride... it's really important for us to represent the LGBTQ+ community."

That Little Bookshop in Stafford, which Cassie Gerard opened in August, was a dream come true.

The shop sells books of all genres, including special editions and in December it won Best New Business at Leigh Ingham MP's Small Business Awards.

For Ms Gerard, it's the experience that sets her apart from the online giants.

Her shop has shelves filled to the brim with books and she sells other trinkets and accessories such as tote bags, badges and bookmarks. Her store also has a reading room with plush seating and a fireplace.

She has sold more than 7,000 books since she opened.

"It's a space for community, for connection, and it's a customer service that you don't get online, we can do something that online algorithms can't," she said.

"I'd like to think I create an experience… it's not just about buying a book, you can smell it as you're coming through the door, it's the nostalgia of the bookshop, it's the nostalgia of a physical book.

"You can go into any high street bookshop and buy a book, but you don't get the experience that you get in here… it looks like home from home, you've got the fire, you've got the comfy seating, you've got the nice lighting."

"People want to shop independent where they can... you've got to provide what they're looking for… you've got to give something that they can't get anywhere else," she said.

She hosts three book clubs in the building, and next year hopes to build a coffee bar in the reading room, as well as offering author talks and signings and workshops for things like calligraphy and writing.

"It's bringing a lot of people in [to Stafford] just to come to the bookshop, and whilst they're in the bookshop, they then visit all the other independent businesses."

"Every single town should have an independent bookstore."

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