Bookshop Stories

What should an independent bookshop look like? What books should it sell? And who gets to decide?
This week on Bookshop Stories, I'm joined by Alex Call, owner of Bert's Books in Swindon, who's built a thriving independent bookshop by doing things very much his own way.
After nearly 20 years at WH Smith, where he rose to become head of books marketing, Alex now combines a physical shop with a busy online business, hundreds of book subscribers, author events and a brilliantly entertaining social media presence.
But what makes his approach particularly interesting is his philosophy on bookselling. Alex doesn't believe independent bookshops should be exclusively about literary discoveries or carefully curated classics. If someone wants the latest bestselling thriller, he's more than happy to sell it to them. No judgement, no snobbery.
We talk about what he learned from corporate bookselling, the realities of running a modern independent bookshop, the importance of understanding your customers and why he's happier and less stressed than ever before.
There's also the story of a viral bookshop window display, his unexpected success on Countdown, and why running Bert's Books has made him bolder about what might be possible.
💡 Plus, I'd love your feedback on Bookshop Stories. Here’s a link to a short listener survey. It only takes a couple of minutes, and your thoughts will help shape what comes next.

Follow Bookshop Stories
Bookshop Stories goes behind the shelves of independent bookshops to meet the people who run them and explore the realities of bookselling, running a small business and keeping independent bookshops alive.
Follow Bookshop Stories on ⁠Instagram⁠ for photographs and stories from each shop, and subscribe to the Bookshop Stories ⁠Substack⁠ for the articles accompanying every episode.
You can also browse books recommended by guests throughout the series at the Bookshop Stories ⁠Bookshop.org⁠ storefront. Buying through the storefront supports independent bookshops, while also providing a small commission that helps support Bookshop Stories.

Just a few days ago, Tilly Fitzgerald opened her doors to customers for the very first time. The people of Worthing – along with hundreds more who had been followed Tilly (aka tillylovesbooks) online for years – came out in their droves.
But what was going on behind the scenes at Tilly's Bookshop? I caught up with an exhausted Tilly to find out in this special bonus episode.

Follow Bookshop Stories
Bookshop Stories goes behind the shelves of independent bookshops to meet the people who run them and explore the realities of bookselling, running a small business and keeping independent bookshops alive.
Follow Bookshop Stories on Instagram for photographs and stories from each shop, and subscribe to the Bookshop Stories Substack for the articles accompanying every episode.
You can also browse books recommended by guests throughout the series at the Bookshop Stories Bookshop.org storefront. Buying through the storefront supports independent bookshops, while also providing a small commission that helps support Bookshop Stories.

What happens when you've built an audience of 200,000 book lovers online, but what you really want is a little bookshop of your own?
For six years, Tilly Fitzgerald has been recommending books on social media, helping thousands of people discover new authors and rediscover their love of reading. Now she's swapping Instagram for the high street, opening Tilly’s Bookshop in Worthing, West Sussex, on Saturday 24 October – the day after this episode is released.
In this episode of Bookshop Stories, Tilly talks about her journey from bookfluencer to independent bookshop owner, what she learned working at Waterstones and Chapter 34, and why nothing quite compares to recommending a book to somebody face to face.
We also get into the realities of opening a bookshop: choosing nearly 2,000 books for the shelves, renovating a beautiful but troublesome listed building, figuring out what local customers actually want to read, and the extraordinary contribution of her husband Dan, without whom the shop simply wouldn't exist.
It’s a funny, honest and wonderfully timely conversation about taking a chance on something you love, and the difference between building an audience online and creating a community in the real world.

Follow Bookshop Stories
Bookshop Stories goes behind the shelves of independent bookshops to meet the people who run them and explore the realities of bookselling, running a small business and keeping independent bookshops alive.
Follow Bookshop Stories on Instagram for photographs and stories from each shop, and subscribe to the Bookshop Stories Substack for the articles accompanying every episode.
You can also browse books recommended by guests throughout the series at the Bookshop Stories Bookshop.org storefront. Buying through the storefront supports independent bookshops, while also providing a small commission that helps support Bookshop Stories.
Oh, and if you can spare me 2 minutes, I'd love to get your feedback on the show – and what we can do to make it even better. The survey is here.

In early-1980s Belfast, a young couple opened a shop selling art books, Scandinavian design, bespoke furniture and cappuccinos. They called it Phlox. Decades later, their daughter brought the name back to life in East London.
In this episode of Bookshop Stories, Tom Idle meets Aimée Madill, owner of Phlox Books on Francis Road in Leyton, to discover how she's created a new generation of the family business.
Aimée talks about growing up in Belfast during the Troubles, losing her mother, working at the legendary Shakespeare and Company bookshop in Paris, and opening Phlox before her 30th birthday. We also explore her extraordinary work programming literary and cultural events at Wilderness and Latitude festivals, the art of recommending books, and what makes a great bookseller.
It's a conversation about family, creativity, curiosity and how a good idea can find a completely new life decades after it first appeared.

Follow Bookshop Stories
Bookshop Stories goes behind the shelves of independent bookshops to meet the people who run them and explore the realities of bookselling, running a small business and keeping independent bookshops alive.
Follow Bookshop Stories on Instagram for photographs and stories from each shop, and subscribe to the Bookshop Stories Substack for the articles accompanying every episode.
You can also browse books recommended by guests throughout the series at the Bookshop Stories Bookshop.org storefront. Buying through the storefront supports independent bookshops, while also providing a small commission that helps support Bookshop Stories.

Richard Drake and Melanie Greenwood never planned to become booksellers. Richard was a maths and PE teacher, Mel worked in environmental policy, and Drake The Bookshop began after a visit to a bookshop café in Penrith planted an idea that refused to go away.
Eleven years later, their independent bookshop has become part of the fabric of Stockton-on-Tees.
In this episode of Bookshop Stories, Richard and Mel talk about building Drake from a tiny start-up space into the bookshop it is today, surviving some incredibly difficult years for Stockton town centre, and creating a shop shaped by the people who use it.
But our conversation also explores a bigger question: who gets to think of themselves as a reader?
We talk about why children stop reading, whether adults sometimes take the pleasure out of books, the impact of bringing authors into local schools, and why Richard and Mel want more people in Stockton not only to read, but to feel that reading belongs to them.
It’s a conversation about books, education, belonging and the relationship between an independent bookshop and the town outside its door.

Bookshop Stories goes behind the shelves of independent bookshops to meet the people who run them and explore the realities of bookselling, running a small business and keeping independent bookshops alive.
Follow Bookshop Stories on ⁠Instagram⁠ for photographs and stories from each shop, and subscribe to the Bookshop Stories ⁠Substack⁠ for the articles accompanying every episode.
You can also browse books recommended by guests throughout the series at the Bookshop Stories ⁠Bookshop.org⁠ storefront. Buying through the storefront supports independent bookshops, while also providing a small commission that helps support Bookshop Stories.