Bàrd Books in Bow has been nominated for the award just seven months after opening.
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10 independent bookstores in London have been nominated for British Independent Bookshop of the Year.
The award, organised by the The Bookseller, is one of numerous awards that make up the 2025 British Book Awards.
The London stores that have been nominated are: Backstory, Balham; Bàrd Books, Bow; Bricklane Bookshop, Brick Lane; Children’s Bookshop, Muswell Hill; Goldsboro Books, Covent Garden; Housmans Bookshop, King’s Cross; Noman Books, Fulham; Pages of Hackney, Hackney; Queen’s Park Books, Queen’s Park; and The Gilded Acorn, Holborn.
However, amid declining book readership amongst young Londoners, bookstores in the capital are having to find new ways to engage their audience.
A bookstore with a bar
One of the London stores nominated for the award is Bàrd Books in Bow, which only opened in July 2024. Owner Vicki Shenkin Kerr and manager Kristin Griffin believe that the range of events that the store offers has helped to attract customers and build a community.
The store has a bar and has hosted pub quizzes, open mic comedy and poetry nights, and live music.
Bàrd Books hosts a range of events to attract customers to the store. Credit: Bàrd Books
Kristin also said that, as an independent bookshop, they have more freedom to be creative with the aesthetic of their store. They “handpick every single book on the shelf, which you don’t get in bigger stores.”
As an independent bookshop Bàrd Books are able to be more creative with the layout of the store. Credit: HARRY ATKINS / CITY NEWS
‘A future generation of readers are at risk’
However, independent bookstores like Bàrd Books are facing an uphill battle, with recent data showing that the number of readers in London and across the UK is on the decline.
A study by The National Literacy Trust found that the number of young Londoners (those aged 8-18) who enjoy reading has fallen by nearly 20% over the past four years.
With children and young people’s enjoyment of reading at an all-time low, and high numbers leaving school without the reading skills they need to thrive, the futures of a generation are being put at risk.
-Jonathan Douglas CBE, The National Literacy Trust Chief Executive
Children ‘are drawn to stories above all else’
Another store nominated for the award, Children’s Bookshop in Muswell Hill, is determined to help solve this problem. The store won Best Children’s Bookseller of the Year at last year’s British Book Awards, and is nominated for Best Independent Bookshop of the Year for the second year running.
Owner Sanchita Basu De Sarkar said, “we are purely being led by getting children into reading, and building that love of reading.” She believes the key to getting children interested in reading is to give them a “varied diet of books,” and helping to “build reading and learning blocks.”
The Children’s Bookshop is motivated by ‘getting children into reading’. Credit: HARRY ATKINS / CITY NEWS
Despite the declining number of young readers, Sanchita feels optimistic for the future, as she thinks that children “are drawn to stories above all else.”
Children’s Bookshop does work with local schools to encourage children to read and Sanchita says children “always say something positive” when she asks how reading makes them feel.
Announcement of the winners
The ten London stores up for British Independent Bookshop of the Year will find out the regional winner on the 11th March, with the overall prize being announced on the 12th May.
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Short Headline10 London bookshops nominated for national award
StandfirstBookstores in the capital have been nominated for British Independent Bookshop of the Year amid declining book readership.
10 independent bookstores in London have been nominated for British Independent Bookshop of the Year.
The award, organised by the The Bookseller, is one of numerous awards that make up the 2025 British Book Awards.
The London stores that have been nominated are: Backstory, Balham; Bàrd Books, Bow; Bricklane Bookshop, Brick Lane; Children’s Bookshop, Muswell Hill; Goldsboro Books, Covent Garden; Housmans Bookshop, King’s Cross; Noman Books, Fulham; Pages of Hackney, Hackney; Queen’s Park Books, Queen’s Park; and The Gilded Acorn, Holborn.
However, amid declining book readership amongst young Londoners, bookstores in the capital are having to find new ways to engage their audience.
A bookstore with a bar
One of the London stores nominated for the award is Bàrd Books in Bow, which only opened in July 2024. Owner Vicki Shenkin Kerr and manager Kristin Griffin believe that the range of events that the store offers has helped to attract customers and build a community.
The store has a bar and has hosted pub quizzes, open mic comedy and poetry nights, and live music.
Bàrd Books hosts a range of events to attract customers to the store. Credit: Bàrd Books
Kristin also said that, as an independent bookshop, they have more freedom to be creative with the aesthetic of their store. They “handpick every single book on the shelf, which you don’t get in bigger stores.”
As an independent bookshop Bàrd Books are able to be more creative with the layout of the store. Credit: HARRY ATKINS / CITY NEWS
‘A future generation of readers are at risk’
However, independent bookstores like Bàrd Books are facing an uphill battle, with recent data showing that the number of readers in London and across the UK is on the decline.
A study by The National Literacy Trust found that the number of young Londoners (those aged 8-18) who enjoy reading has fallen by nearly 20% over the past four years.
With children and young people’s enjoyment of reading at an all-time low, and high numbers leaving school without the reading skills they need to thrive, the futures of a generation are being put at risk.
-Jonathan Douglas CBE, The National Literacy Trust Chief Executive
Children ‘are drawn to stories above all else’
Another store nominated for the award, Children’s Bookshop in Muswell Hill, is determined to help solve this problem. The store won Best Children’s Bookseller of the Year at last year’s British Book Awards, and is nominated for Best Independent Bookshop of the Year for the second year running.
Owner Sanchita Basu De Sarkar said, “we are purely being led by getting children into reading, and building that love of reading.” She believes the key to getting children interested in reading is to give them a “varied diet of books,” and helping to “build reading and learning blocks.”
The Children’s Bookshop is motivated by ‘getting children into reading’. Credit: HARRY ATKINS / CITY NEWS
Despite the declining number of young readers, Sanchita feels optimistic for the future, as she thinks that children “are drawn to stories above all else.”
Children’s Bookshop does work with local schools to encourage children to read and Sanchita says children “always say something positive” when she asks how reading makes them feel.
Announcement of the winners
The ten London stores up for British Independent Bookshop of the Year will find out the regional winner on the 11th March, with the overall prize being announced on the 12th May.
