A bookshop in Crickhowell has been voted Best Independent Bookshop in Wales.
Book-ish, which opened in 2010 on Crickhowell’s High Street, has won the regional crown at the 2022 Independent Bookshop of the Year Awards.
Book-ish is aiming to reclaim the overall Independent Bookshop of the Year crown after winning the award in 2020. It’s the official bookshop of the Green Man Festival and the busy bookseller is a co-founder of the Crickhowell Literary Festival.
Emma Corfield-Walters, owner of Book-ish, tweeted through the bookstore’s account and wrote, “WOW! I am so thrilled to have been named Bookshop of the Year for Wales. Congratulations to the other 9 Reinal winners, all friends and wonderful booksellers.
“A HUGE thank you to my amazing Bookish team, they totally deserve this for all their tireless work over the past 12 months.”
The nine regional and country winners are now fighting for the overall “Independent Bookshop of the Year” award. The winner will be announced at the British Book Awards Winners Ceremony to be held at Grosvenor House in London. on Monday, 23.5.
The overall Independent Bookstore of the Year winner will also compete to be crowned Bookseller of the Year.
Sponsored by Gardners and supported by The Booksellers Association, the awards honor nine inspiring bookstores, selected from a shortlist of 63 finalists, who continue to serve their local communities with their insider knowledge, inclusion, digital innovation, adapted events, and of course, books during these turbulent times .
Tom Tivnan, Editor-in-Chief of The Bookseller, said: “This has undoubtedly been the most competitive year we’ve had for Independent Bookstore of the Year and these nine stores should be justifiably proud to claim their regional and national crowns when their Indian counterparts have also done thriving. Although there are different models here, from long-standing family-run shops to a community-run not-for-profit organization, the common denominator is constant innovation and unwavering support of local communities.
“It might be silly to say, but we may be in the golden age of the independent book trade. The last 10 or 15 years have been the most difficult times for indies as they battle online competition, deep discounts in supermarkets, rising business rates and of course a recent global pandemic. But they overcame the challenges; India is thriving and the number of shops is increasing.
“Maybe it’s because they combine the old with the new: that almost unique insider knowledge and deep love of books they’re able to instill in readers, along with a digital savvy as indies leverage everything from crowdfunding to TikTok, to reach customers and improve their business.”
