Celebrating Independent Bookshops – High Street Beacons of Hope by Alexia Wdowski
Celebrating Independent Bookshops – High Street Beacons of Hope
Nominations are in for The Independent Bookshop of the Year Award 2025 and one of Aberystwyth’s indies, The Bookshop by the Sea, has made the shortlist.
The Bookshop by the Sea is continuing to be a ray of hope as it heads into 2025 nominated for The British Book Awards. The indie bookshop, a treasure trove tucked away beside Aberystwyth’s main high street, has become a community fixture since 2021 when the owner Freya Blyth opened a pop-up bookshop during the pandemic. Since then, the bookshop has grown from strength to strength putting on events, workshops and The Aberystwyth Poetry Festival, now going into its third year.
After an exciting 2024 where the bookshop won the TikTok Book Award for Indie Bookshop of the Year, and bookshop owner Freya Blyth won the Rising Star Award from The Bookseller, Freya and her bookselling team, led by Store Manager Alexia Wdowski and Marketing Manager Bethany Whiston, are continuing to make waves as Regional and Country Finalists for Wales in the Independent Bookshop of the Year Award.
The prestigious award, sponsored by Gardners, celebrates the spirit of independent bookshops and recognises the hard work, community and creativity happening behind bookshelves all over the UK.
Tom Tivnan, managing editor of The Bookseller said: ‘Independent bookshops are beacons of hope amid the gloom. We have never seen such depth of quality and energy in the submissions, from the newcomers to most venerable stores.’
He continued: ‘These finalists are wonderfully unique and idiosyncratic, but there is a link in that all of them are not confined by the four walls of their shops – they are out in their communities organising festivals, visiting schools, bringing authors to town. Sure, they sell a lot of books, but that is just the start: independent bookshops are Britain and Ireland’s local cultural linchpins.’
The Bookshop by the Sea is one example of the thriving independent bookshop scene in the UK, combining a vibrant online community fuelled by the explosion of BookTok, with the warmth of physical community spaces. Both worlds bring people together to share ideas, discover new writers, and explore the rich history of traditional literature.
Bookshops are unique amongst high street shops as they often act as community-based ‘third spaces’ allowing cultural conversations and connections to be made alongside purchases. A knowledge of books and bookselling is only part of what they do, they also provide hope, access, and light the way to a future where connections and ideas can flourish.
Freya Blyth and Alexia Wdowski at The Bookshop by the Sea
You can support local bookshops through The Bookshop by the Sea website. Tickets are also now available for Aberystwyth Poetry Festival 2025 with the theme: Hiraeth, Home and Identity.
