These indie bookshops can still deliver in time for Christmas
Here’s our edit of some of the best independent bookshops to shop online with during the coronavirus pandemic, including ones will still deliver in time for Christmas.
There are few things lovelier in life than an indie bookshop: the joy of being surrounded by so many unread stories, the sense of calm, and, of course, the shelves stacked high with books old and new, pre-loved and ready-to-be-loved, rare and antiquarian.
While this has been a difficult year for independent booksellers, there are things you can do to help and support your favourites online.
So, if you’re after a last minute Christmas present for a friend or maybe wanted to get started on your 2021 reading list early, there are plenty of bookshops up and down the country that would love to receive your order, and even some that can help you in your search for the perfect book.
We’ve rounded up just some of the wonderful independent bookshops from London to Glasgow and checked out which ones can still deliver in time for Christmas. So if you wanted to buy the latest Booker Prize winning novel or find something completely new, maybe consider popping over to one of these shop’s online sites to put in an order.
Golden Hare Books (Edinburgh)
Golden Hare Books in Edinburgh is kind of a big deal. It was named the Independent Bookshop of the Year at the British Book Awards in 2019. It’s also a beautiful space for browsing, with plenty of light and a well-curated selection of books on offer.
Since they know that many of their customers will likely have been unable to stop by during the coronavirus crisis, they have been selling online throughout the year. And, if you’re quick, they can still deliver in time for Christmas, as long as you order by Thursday 17th December.
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Hive
Hive isn’t actually an independent bookshop, but it does take great pride in supporting them. It is connected to hundreds of independent booksellers across the UK, and when you make a purchase a percentage of the money goes towards an indie shop of your choice. You can also choose to pick your order up from your local independent shop.
Your last days to order with Hive are Friday 18 December for standard second class postage, Monday 21st for premium first class postage, and Tuesday 22nd for first class tracked.
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The Bookish Type (Leeds)
The Bookish Type is Leeds’ newest indie bookshop, offering an immense range of books by LGBTQ+ authors. Opening its doors back in September, this unassuming little shop started out as a popup, appearing at events in and around Leeds.
While they aren’t able to send out books to be delivered in time for Christmas, they have extended their opening hours to give shoppers extra time to browse. They are now open 12pm to 4pm on Sundays, and late night on Thursdays through December.
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Sevenoaks Bookshop (Sevenoaks Town)
Sevenoaks is a lovely bookshop that has been going since 1948. Right from the start its focus has been on stocking the best emerging literature and the finest classics, to help children and adults alike find their next favourite book.
Their deadline for deliveries that will arrive in time for Christmas has now passed, but you can still order online to collect in-store until Sunday 20 December.
VISIT THE WEBSITE
Category Is Books (Glasgow)
Having opened its doors back in September 2018, Category Is Books is a relatively new independent LGBTQ+ bookshop in Glasgow. They sell a wide selection of new and second hand queer books, magazines, graphic novels and zines, but if there’s you’re after that you can’t find in stock then the married pair running the show will happily get it ordered in for you.
And, any orders placed by the 20 December will be delivered to you in time for Christmas.
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Persephone Books (London)
A bookshop dedicated entirely to exclusive editions of twentieth century women’s literature, London’s Persephone Books is something special. Beginning in 1998 with a mission to publish “lost” or under-appreciated women’s writing, it has now become something of a cult publisher and bookseller, and prides itself on its beautiful, exclusive editions.
You can shop their wide selection of books from the website, ranging from historical memoirs, to cookbooks, to feminist fiction and beyond.
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Barnett’s Books (Wadhurst)
Barnett’s Books in Wadhurst prides itself on being a community resource. So it’s no wonder really that they are more than happy to post books out to those under lockdown – and have even suggested they might drop books off to those in isolation.
They sell a great range of books, and their online shop is furnished with reviews and recommendations, to help you find something new and exciting.
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Ken Spelman Books (York)
Ken Spelman’s bookshop in York is a haven of rare and secondhand books. It was first opened in 1948, and is now considered one of the best rare bookshops in the country.
Thousands of the books they stock in-store are available to order on AbeBooks, and you can also order over the phone or via email.
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Petersfield Bookshop (Petersfield)
You may be thinking that the name Petersfield Bookshop rings a bell. That’s because at the start of this year the internet saved this lovely bookshop from a day of dire sales.
Well, internet, our time has come again. The shop takes online orders, and you can browse a colossal range of books, from anthropology to fashion, maths to LGBT fiction.
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DRAKE the Bookshop (Stockton-on-Tees)
Based in Stockton-on-Tees, DRAKE the Bookshop was the regional winner of The Independent Bookshop of the year in both 2018 and 2019. And for good reason, too! Not only do they stock a massive range of books, including special editions and signed copies, they also offer a service where they pick and send out a book or two to you based on your preferences, to give you the chance to find something completely new.
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Five Leaves (Nottingham)
Another past winner of the Independent Bookshop of the Year, Five Leaves Bookshop took the title in 2018. It is a radical bookshop based in Nottingham, and publishes its own literary, political and social history titles. It does, however, stock an even greater selection than the books it publishes.
Five Leaves is currently taking orders for books that are not in stock in their shop, which it will send to customers. You can contact them via email.
VISIT THE WEBSITE
Kim’s Bookshop (Arundel and Chichester)
Kim’s Bookshop has locations in Arundel and Chichester, and has been going since 1971. It started out as a tiny shop in Worthing, but its reputation for housing interesting titles soon proceeded it.
While it doesn’t have an online ordering system, it does have something else that is fairly magical. As it says on their website, they aren’t called “the book detectives” for nothing. If there’s a book you read many years ago or a story you’ve heard about but you just can’t find, fill in their online Book Finder form – they will almost certainly find it for you.
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London Review Bookshop (London)
There’s a reason why the London Review Bookshop has more than 280,000 Twitter followers as its social media skewers the literary elite with surreal silliness. The shop itself has been going for 15 years after being opened by the prestigious London Review of Books magazine.
And now staff are rolling out all the stops to keep us entertained during the coronavirus. There is a new “almost daily” newsletter, Diverted Traffic, featuring one piece from the London Review of Books’ archive “chosen for its compulsive, immersive and escapist qualities, and also for its total lack of references to plague, pandemics or quarantine”.
The store is also taking online orders on its website. Why not take a punt and subscribe to the Book Box – a collection of surprises selected by the staff, sent direct to your door each month. Nice surprises would come in handy right now.
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News From Nowhere (Liverpool)
News From Nowhere is a much-loved radical and community bookshop in Liverpool, which has been running as a not-for-profit co-operative since 1974.
Since reopening its doors as lockdown restrictions lifted in July, it has put plenty of measures in place to help keep customers safe and healthy. But for those who don’t want to venture out, its wide selection of books that range from anti-racist literature to food and cookbooks is available to browse and order online.
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Mostly Books (Abingdon)
Special mention must also go to Mostly Books which saw bookseller Lyndsey clock 31km on a bike while making deliveries. The photo of her sporting a waterproof, smudged mascara and a triumphant expression says it all (we think she’s a land girl for the coronavirus generation). The shop, which launched in the Oxfordshire market town in 2012, is offering free delivery throughout a five-mile radius. Options also include a Blind Date with a Book which offers a mystery book, with only the genre indicated, wrapped up with a bar of chocolate and fine tea bags. Romance and books is speaking to exactly what we want right now.
VISIT THE WEBSITE
Image credit: Unsplash
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