Why Yorkshire's independent bookshops are making a comeback

It was the aforementioned furniture in C S Lewis’ fantasy fiction that inspired the name of a tiny retail space, designed for its small customers – young readers who like nothing better than to lose themselves in a book.

Leanne Yeomans, the owner, is all grown up now, but her love of books began in childhood and she has been an avid reader ever since which is why she is now passing on her own passion for books to the next generation.

Since opening her aptly-named children’s bookshop – Through the Wardrobe, in Nettleton Road, Mirfield – she has been selling a world of adventure and make believe.

Although small, the space is perfectly formed and every inch has been put to use with floor to ceiling shelving showcasing a wide and extensive range of fantasy and fiction. Attention to detail has been paid in every area of the design with a nod to Narnia along the way – such as the lantern sign-post profiling the latest books.

Leanne credits her husband, Richard, with the interior design which has transformed this former model railway shop into a cute and quirky cabin.

Launched in 2019, Through the Wardrobe Books gave Leanne a change of pace from her previous career as a coffee shop chain manager.

“I’d been eyeing up the little space for years and when it became available I just knew it needed to be a bookshop – a lifelong dream,” says Leanne.

Supported by her husband, sister, and niece who creates the window designs, bringing the dream to reality has been a real family affair. “It was very much a family effort with everyone chipping in how they could, and my little boy being the perfect picture book tester!”

“I’ve put books into the hands of children who need them more than ever, and seen the joy they bring, made links with some incredibly inspiring schools, welcomed wonderful authors and creators to the shop and made significant new friends along the way.

“My little shop is built with heart; a safe, inclusive and conscious space that works with my community, and injects hope into everything we do together. “It’s a total joy to do what I do – to see the joy on the face of someone embarking on a new literary adventure,” says Leanne.

While the pandemic posed a challenge, Leanne says it did increase footfall in the shop when the lockdowns were lifted. “People were keen to help and support local shops and businesses.

“People rallied round to shop on their doorstep,” she says.

Interestingly, Leanne says tech-savvy teenagers are also turning to books, thanks to author Alice Oseman’s comic book based Heartstopper series streaming on Netflix.

“Some are coming into reading as a result of Heartstopper. It has been incredible,” says Leanne.

She added: “I’m hoping that it continues and that people recognise the value in it, what we can offer the community, the cultural aspect; author visits; more interactive sessions – we can do craft and story times.

“It really helps give a vibrancy to the high street.”

Sarah Shaw, manager of The Book Corner, located within the Piece Hall, the 18th century former cloth halls in Halifax, says they have remained busy before, during and after the pandemic.

“We really noticed everybody was turning back to reading. It has been massively successful,” says Sarah.

She believes people are seeking pleasures from the simple things in life.

“People want simple things again. We really noticed things that were selling were poetry books and nature books, and I think people are going a bit back to basics – the simple things in life.”

This resurgence in reading has had a positive impact on independent bookshops, as Sarah explains. “I think even before the pandemic independent bookshops were on the rise. More independent bookshops opened in the last few years than in the previous 30 years.”

Sarah says The Book Corner’s location – and support from local people and local writers – has counted towards their success.

“We were 30 per cent up, since re-opening, on the previous period and it has just continued. We are in a very fortunate position here because we have the Piece Hall, which is a tourist attraction in itself, but we have massive support from the locals and we are pretty fortunate in Calderdale we have some fantastic local writers.”

Imagined Things in Harrogate is an example of the evident boom in demand for independent bookshops.

Originally located in Westminster Arcade, the bookshop has recently moved to Montpellier Parade offering owner, Georgia Eckert and her team more retail and storage space.

During the five years since the former NHS radiographer opened her shop, she says she has seen demand rise, in part prompted by the legacy of the pandemic making people more conscious about shopping local.

“We found with Covid an increased appreciation for local shops. If you shop local there are benefits, we really are part of our community, we know so many customers by name and are so much more than a place that sells things,” says Georgia.

Although their plan for a website was accelerated by the pandemic, they have noticed more customers coming back into the shop.

“It has completely shifted back. We still get online orders, but nothing like before when people were cut off from physically shopping. It is more enjoyable for people shopping in person, in a small shop, where they can feel the books and speak to a real person who’s read them and is passionate about them – it really is a different experience.”

Georgia says she believes the pandemic re-ignited an interest in books for some, and is hopeful demand will continue to increase.

“The amount of free time people had certainly brought many people back to books. Amidst the long, uncertain days of the pandemic, many found the joy of escaping into a book again.”

“Bookshops are a beacon for appreciating the analogue things in life, the things that have been around for a long time, like books. We are not about the digital, we are all about the physical – bookshops are places that bring you back to the simpler, slower things in life, and in our hectic modern times we all need more of that (and more books!) in our lives.”

Earlier this year the Booksellers Association announced the number of independent bookshops in the UK and Ireland has grown for the fifth consecutive year, marking half a decade of growth following over 20 years of decline.

The figures were released as part of its annual membership survey.

Booksellers As Placemakers, a study commissioned by the Booksellers Association and authored by the Institute of Place Management at Manchester Metropolitan University, shows over 90 per cent of booksellers work actively to support local priorities, such as place marketing, walkability, provision of recreational and cultural spaces, and maintaining economic attractive town and city centres.

Andy Rossiter, Booksellers Association President, who owns three bookshops, said: “Living and working as a bookseller through this pandemic has been one of the most intense experiences of our careers, and I am incredibly proud to reconfirm what I already knew, which is that my fellow booksellers are net contributors to the health of our high streets, as well as to our economic, cultural and social lives. We want booksellers to take confidence and pride in this report, and to shout from the rooftops in their own places how brilliant they are.”

For more information visit www.throughthewardrobebooks.co.uk; www.imaginedthings.co.uk and www.bookcornerhalifax.com.