Chels

Like a lot of us in the books and reader community, I know how important it is to support indie bookshops. The world is becoming increasingly online, and our money increasingly goes to a smaller number of conglomerates that absorb one another until we’re eventually left with a handful of options, and those few options prioritise profit, which means remakes and sequels and nostalgia trips prevail over new stories. Original is risky, and risky doesn’t suit profit margins, and the fewer original stories we get, the less inclined we are to reach for the ones that are available. We’re sucked into the comfort of familiar stories, and our comfort zones shrink.

I would love to pop into an independent bookshop and browse for an hour, and come home with some hidden gem of a book by an unknown author that would change my life. Perhaps that fantasy comes from all the 90s romcoms I’ve consumed. Unfortunately, there’s not an indie bookshop within at least an hour of my house. In fact, the bookshop situation is so dire I have to travel at least 40 minutes to even go to a Waterstones. 

In our town centre, we have two bookshops – The Works, and WHSmiths (because I loathe to refer to it by the new name). The Works used to sell a lot of the kind of books I’d refer to as beach reads – slightly niche romances typically catered towards older women. They’ve always had a big children’s book section, though, and online they’ve always had great deals on box sets. Recently, they became in-store only, so I imagine trying to get your hands on the box sets will be pretty difficult now. Their stores are probably only 40% books these days, with art and craft supplies, puzzles, and toys taking up the rest of their space. They’ve also shifted their typical book stock – it’s a lot of popular booktok romances and books based on film and television. On the surface, it’s fine – it makes sense to prioritise the stock that sells, but in the past I’ve found some really great hidden gems in The Works, because it’s much safer to take a risk on a book that’s under £5. 

I used to work in the WHSmiths in our town centre, so I’m acutely aware of how it was previously set out. There was once a whole section for classics, poetry, and plays (I know, because it was the section that most often saw books being sent to clearance, and it was my job to scan them all for price changes). Now, there’s just one shelf. Even the children’s section has been reduced, which is a surprise. It seems like bookshops are becoming less focused on books, and more on stationery and art supplies. I went to the city centre this week and nipped into their WHSmiths – a bigger store, so I was hoping for a better selection – and they didn’t have a single shelf for classics. They did have a big romantasy section, though, and a booktok section. Again, it’s fine, they should prioritise the stock that actually sells, but it was frustrating as someone who doesn’t really go for contemporary romance literature to see just how much of the stores are taken up by them, and how little space is left for every other genre.

To me, Waterstones has always felt like an indie bookshop. It sounds silly, but going to them is rare for me, and they always stock the beautiful editions, and they have such a wide array of books. They’re the place to look for queer stories and lesser-known poets, coffee table books and literary criticism. They may be a mainstream company, but they have variety. And, most importantly, they seem to be one of the only mainstream bookshops whose stock is still mostly books.

In the past, I’ve only really been able to shop at indie bookshops on holiday – while they’re rare in my town, they seem to be a staple of seaside towns. However, this week, I finally found Five Leaves Bookshop. It’s been in Nottingham city centre for 12 years, but it’s tucked away, nestled between bigger buildings, and it’s easy to miss. This time, though, I was determined to find it – and I did! Five Leaves is an independent bookshop and publisher with a focus on queer literature and politics, as well as local writers past and present. The actual shop is small, but it’s packed with so many books that if i hadn’t already made two purchases in Waterstones, I may have ended up buying much more than I already did. Having the opportunity to finally support an indie bookshop has reiterated just how important it is – buying books online is often more convenient and cheaper, but that’s because big conglomerates are able to slash prices and deliver stock quickly by treating their employees unfairly (and that’s the polite way of phrasing it). I’m glad that there is such emphasis put on shopping small, but I do wish that it was easier to do for those of us who don’t live in literary hubs.