Bookshop Stories

What does it take to run a bookshop in a tiny Highland village that welcomes thousands of visitors from around the world?
This week, Bookshop Stories heads to Ullapool, a picturesque harbour village on Scotland’s northwest coast, where the mountains are dramatic, the landscape is ancient and the population numbers just 1,500.
Here, just a short walk from the waterfront, Katharine Douglas manages Ullapool Bookshop, a much-loved independent that’s as closely connected to its surroundings as the people who live there.
But bookselling in Ullapool comes with some unusual challenges. In summer, the shop opens twelve hours a day, seven days a week, welcoming cruise ship passengers, ferry travellers and tourists exploring the North Coast 500. Come January, Katharine might go hours without seeing a customer.
In this episode, we explore how Katharine balances the needs of a small local community with those of thousands of passing visitors, why geology, Highland history and local fiction are such important parts of the shop’s identity, and how one self-published novel became an extraordinary success story, selling around 2,500 copies through the bookshop alone.
We also talk about Katharine’s journey from Edinburgh to Ullapool, the art of choosing books for such a varied audience, and why a village like Ullapool would be a very different place without its bookshop.
Plus, Katharine shares her favourite reads, from beautifully crafted short novels to gripping Scottish historical fiction, and reveals the books she recommends to customers looking to rediscover their love of reading.

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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.