The Little Bookshop, Chapel Allerton: Independent booksellers announce they will be expanding and opening second store in Yorkshire market town of Skipton

Hannah Limming, Lou Fenton and Cheryl Duffield founded The Little Bookshop in the north Leeds suburb of Chapel Allerton in 2017 – and on their sixth anniversary have confirmed they have secured new premises in the market town of Skipton.

Their concept originated as a children’s store with a cafe, but over the years the Chapel Allerton shop has evolved and adapted to meet customer demands and tastes, and now has an adult section.

The new site, a former clothes shop within the Craven Court development in Skipton town centre, will open on Saturday (November 4) and offer two floors with reads for all ages.

It will be customer-led, with stock changing depending on orders, suggestions and recommendations from the local community. The town, a traditional gateway to the Dales, currently has no independent retailer of new books, though there are second-hand and antiquarian dealers.

"We’ve changed over time, adapted to the post-Covid market and given local people what they wanted. We’ve thought about expanding for around a year, but it was just about finding the right location – and we think Skipton is it,” said Hannah, who has a marketing and events background.

"We wanted somewhere that didn’t already have an independent bookshop, and it’s a thriving market town – it was a perfect opportunity. There are lots of visitors and events, and it just felt right. When we found our unit, it was the right time and place.”

The existing branch is renowned for its passionate and knowledgeable staff, and Hannah hopes The Little Bookshop can foster a similar sense of literary community in Skipton.

"We’re a shop for everyone, and we pride ourselves on our knowledge. We can recommend books, and we’ve grown with what our customers want. We learned what we were missing, and now our customers guide our stock.”

Hannah admits that in the past six years she has been surprised by just how many shoppers turn to the store team for advice.

"They’ve been on this journey with us. We offer an experience and a personal connection, rather than books selected by an algorithm.”

The Little Bookshop is part of a wider revival of independent booksellers, and despite online competition, technology has actually helped traders – the ‘BookTok’ social media trend introduced Generation Z to the delights of holding real books rather than virtual copies.

"It’s an industry not without its challenges, and we have to give people a reason to come here. They want to be in a diverse, friendly environment. It’s been great to see other bookshops pop up. TikTok and trend-based reading are fundamental for us now, and simple activities like children’s storytime are what people longed for after Covid.”

The Chapel Allerton staff will initially run the Skipton site before new employees are recruited, and a launch event on Saturday will feature cake, fizz and goody bags.

"We’ve thought about more shops – never say never, but for the moment we just want to welcome people in Skipton and we hope that the community loves what we do.”