As bookshops in Wales and England begin to reopen, we wanted to remind you of how you can support your local indie bookshop this Independent Bookshop Week.
- Buy a book
Many indie bookshops are working harder than ever to get books out to customers during lockdown and are continuing to sell online, over the phone or via social media as they begin to open up. Find your local indie and check how they’re selling here https://indiebookshopweek.org.uk/bookshopsearch.
- Support them on social media
Spread the word about the indie bookshops you love, and those you’ve supported during lockdown by tagging your favourite ones on social media. Don’t forget to tag @booksaremybag, #IndieBookshopWeek and your friends.
- Get involved with online events
As well as working hard to get books to you, lots of Indies are also busy organising fantastic online events with all your favourite authors. Check with your local shop to see what they have going on. You should also take a look at what At Home With 4 Indies have coming up.
- Encourage others to buy from Indies too
Share your love of indies with your friends and family and encourage them to buy from independent bookshops too.
Indie Updates
We are proud to work with a number great independent bookshops in Wales and across the UK. Here is an update from some of them about how they’re currently operating.
The Wellfield Bookshop, Cardiff
“We are continuing to post out orders, and in view of the Welsh Government’s announcement last Friday we are hoping to open the shop later this week. We’d like to say a huge thank you for the continued support The Wellfield Bookshop has received during these uncertain times. Hopefully, see you soon!”
The Wellfield Bookshop are taking orders over the phone 029 2036 0777 or via Facebook.
Book-ish, Crickhowell
Book-ish has officially re-opened today with strict social distancing guidelines in place. They are posting regular updates on their Twitter page @Bookishcrick and also offer a great online service at https://www.book-ish.co.uk/.
Book-ish are also one of the shops running regular online events through At Home With 4 Indies. Check out what events they have coming up on Facebook.
Griffin Books, Penarth
“We’re pleased to announce that we will reopen the shop on Wednesday 1 July. Please keep an eye on our website and social media channels for details of new opening times and the social distancing measures that will be in place.
We will continue to offer an online ordering and home delivery service beyond Wednesday 1 July. If you would like to place an order, or have an enquiry about any of our services, please email us on: [email protected] You can also contact us via our social media channels: Twitter @GriffinBooksUK, Facebook @griffinbookspenarth, and Instagram @griffinbooksuk.
DELIVERY: We are offering a FREE home delivery service within the Penarth area (excludes Sully, Dinas Powys and Llandough) and posting to customers further afield (£3.00 postal charge applies). A FREE click and collect service will be in operation from Wednesday 1 July.”
They are also running a fab series of online events to celebrate Indie Bookshop Week this week. See what they have coming up and book tickets on their website www.griffinbooks.co.uk.
Browsers Bookshop, Portmadog
“Following the Welsh Government’s recent announcement, Ben and I would like to advise you of Browsers intentions.
It is NOT our intention to open the building for public admittance on Monday 22nd June. We will review the situation over the coming weeks/months.
We will continue to provide online, telephone, mail and doorstep orders/collections as we have done throughout lockdown.
We would like to thank each and every one of you who has supported us and other local independent businesses in any way during lockdown and ask you to respect our decision.
Thank you, Ben and Sian Cowper.”
Get in touch with them on 01766 512066 or via Facebook @browsersbookshopporthmadog. You can also browse on their brand new website https://browsersbook.shop/
Pen’rallt Gallery Bookshop, Machynlleth
“Gardners Books wholesalers to the independent book trade, our postman, Clive, our UPS delivery man, Rob, Books Council Wales and The Booksellers’ Association have provided wonderful support. We also continue to offer Gardners Home Delivery service. Either way, you can still browse Gardners website, order your book through us and we will instruct Gardners (very nicely) to dispatch direct to you, or to a friend, via Royal Mail. We are still dealing direct with major publishers and our good allies, Y Lolfa and Atebol, the Independent Alliance and Yale University List representative – order away!”
The bookshop is closed to visitors, but you can order books via this form or by emailing [email protected]. You can also call them on 01654 700559 (10am – 12noon weekdays only).
Cover to Cover, Swansea
“We’ve opened the doors, and it’s been great to see your friendly faces this morning. Offers all week with Dylan’s Mobile Bookstore (@Dylanthomasguy)!
You can also order via email, phone, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and we’ll deliver with social distancing for free within 10 miles, and post further afield.”
Palas Print, Caernarfon
“Thank you for your continued support during these testing times, and for your patience as we sort and deliver your orders. We understand how books are a comfort, a means of escape and a way of making teaching at home fun in these difficult times. Thank you for staying at home, staying safe, protecting our communities and NHS Wales. For the time being, please continue to take care and stay at home!
If you need a book or two, or advice about books, we are happy to accept and deliver orders, being mindful of the need to do this in a safe way. You’re welcome to order online from the shop section of the website at any time. Or, email your query and we’ll reply as soon as we can.
You can phone the shop 01286 674631 between 10am and 2pm Monday – Friday, or contact us via Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. We will respond as soon as we can, but please be patient as we may take up to 24 hours to get back to you. Once your parcel is ready, we will deliver or post it to you. The service provided by the Post Office in Caernarfon has been excellent throughout.”
Order online – www.palasprint.com, over the phone 01286674631, or by e-mail [email protected].
Palas Print are also running a number of free online events this Indie Bookshop Week, register by emailing [email protected].
Workers Gallery, Porth
“Our focus has been to create book bundles that included artist cards and locally handmade chocolates so people could support us and 3 other small and independent businesses with one purchase. We provide a free gift wrapping and messaging service – which most orders used as they were bundles sent as gifts. We imagined the recipient opening the handwritten card, unwrapping the bundle to later be reading a fabulous book while chomping on a lovely chocolate treat! Feedback has been really good. We’ve even had recipients of The Occassional Vegan bundle (sent with vegan chocs) sending us photographs of the food they made from the recipes! We’re going to continue offering the book bundles online.”
View their full range of gift bundles one their website www.workersgallery.co.uk or get in touch with them via Twitter.
The Hours, Brecon
“We unfortunately remain closed but are pleased that after the initial shock and panic, sleepless nights and stress-filled days, we found our feet and have managed to use the time well and wisely. We’ve had some small improvement works completed that needed to be done internally at the shop; upgraded and improved our website and made (half-whispered, hopeful) plans for later in the trading year. We’re now in the process of having customer and staff safeguarding work done at the shop including safety screens etc, and are looking forward to reopening when it is safe to do so.
We have been impressed by the First Minister and Welsh Government’s cautious but measured and mature approach to the handling of the pandemic. It has been a stressful, frightening and unsettling time for businesses everywhere (indeed everyone, everywhere) and no doubt we will all see devastating repercussions for some time yet with the Arts, Hospitality and Tourism being especially badly hit it would seem. We can only trust that the right decisions have been made at the right times here in Wales and do our very best to recover and resume trading. I would stress that that cannot happen without continued financial and other support from all the relevant bodies and sectors, should any businesses still require it – they will.
Everyone navigating the ‘new normal’ demands lots of joined up thinking, empathy and support. Pulling the plug now and just hoping things fall into place isn’t optional and we urge Welsh Government to be there now, for everyone, at this pivotal point for the Welsh economy.”
We look forward to further updates on their re-opening soon.
Inigo Jones Slate Works, Caernarfon
“We have not opened our shop yet but we are accepting online orders at www.inigojones.co.uk. We hope to open soon but this will depend on certain restrictions being lifted.”
Don’t forget you can find your local independent bookshop using the Independent Bookshop Week bookshop search.
We’d love to hear what Independent Bookshops you’ve been shopping with during lockdown and what books you’ve been buying. Tag us on social media @SerenBooks.
vivid and moving. It opens with poems inspired by her home in the Lake District, and the landscape and famous Romantic poets such as Wordsworth and Keats, who have walked there and written about the fells and lakes. Nature is a guiding presence, but the author’s personal story, of enduring a little-known and sometimes debilitating illness, is also the backdrop to this striking poetry. Formally, this work is more akin to the metaphysical poets in its fervent use of metaphor, in its multiple layers of meaning and in its quest for answers to the most pressing questions of mortality.
A kitchen diary of seasonal recipes with a delicious mixture of fine food writing and beautiful photography. This guide to eating with the seasons takes a realistic approach to shopping cheaply and sustainably, and proves that the vegan lifestyle is anything but expensive. Features recipes for all seasons, a section on dishes that can be enjoyed all year round, and menu ideas for special occasions.
Displaying his characteristic flair, craft and intelligence, Crucefix’s poems often begin with the visible, the tangible, the ordinary, yet through each act of attentiveness and the delicate fluidity of the language they re-discover the extraordinary in the everyday.
