PAGE TURNERS

What does it take to run a successful rural bookshop? We speak to owners who are writing their own happy endings, bringing great reads, connection and culture to their countryside communities

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If you have a street with a bookshop, you've got a street with soul,' says Lindsay Galvin, former teacher and now a full-time writer of novels for older children and adults. In country towns and villages, a bookshop is more than just a store. It's a meeting place, a community hub, and a lovely place to hang out. You can't help but strike up a conversation in one. You may walk in with a vague memory of a book with a red cover, by a woman, with a long title, and the seller will find it for you.

There's a healthy number of 1,072 independent bookstores in the UK, plus numerous book festivals and pop-up events, fuelled by a revival of interest in physical books. People of all ages are returning to the tangible experience of putting down their phone and picking up a volume to read. BookTok, offshoot of TikTok, has drawn younger folk to the joy of actual books.

Meryl Halls, MD of the Booksellers Association, says: 'From being trusted curators and championing authors, to fostering communities of like-minded individuals and bringing local jobs and essential footfall to shopping districts, the role that independent bookshops play within the book trade, wider society and economy is more vital than ever.' If you're not fortunate enough to have access to a bookshop nearby, then buying via bookshop.org, which supports independent booksellers, is a great way to offer support.

Without the larger footfall and passing trade of towns, rural bookshops need to build a world off the page in order to thrive. The best also offer reading or writing groups, author events, cafes and more.

We spoke to four women bringing their love of books to the countryside.