Bristol has always boasted a lot of bloody brilliant bookshops, but three are now competing against each other to be named ‘Independent Bookshop of the Year’. This year saw the highest-ever number of entries The British Book Awards 2025, with 72 finalists from across the UK in the running – including Bookhaus, Gloucester Road Books, and Storysmith.
“The last year has been a drab time for the high street, with declining footfall and rising prices, but what has been underscored by our regional and country finalists is that independent bookshops are beacons of hope amid the gloom,” said Tom Tivnan, managing editor at The Bookseller. “I have never seen such depth of quality and energy in the submissions, from the newcomers to most venerable stores.”
Described as “wonderfully unique and idiosyncratic”, what sets all these finalists apart from your average booksellers, our Bristol literary spots included, is that they are “not confined by the four walls of their shops.” Whether that’s organising festivals, visiting schools, and bringing authors to town, they all do a lot more than just sell books.
Unique to Bristol, however, bookhaus has become known for its strong political focus and reflecting Bristol’s radical tradition; Gloucester Road Books embodies the fiercely independent spirit of the legendary road with which it shares a name; and Storysmith has kept south of the river stocked with a tightly curated range of cutting-edge fiction, non-fiction and children’s books.
Beyond Bristol, Bath’s Mr B’s Emporium of Reading Delights was also nominated for ‘Independent Bookshop of the Year’, as was 2023’s overall winner Griffin Books from Penarth, Wales. The shops will first have to win their region before contending for the overall prize, announced at The British Book Awards ceremony on May 12, 2025.
South-West England finalists for Independent Bookshop of the Year:
- Bert’s Books (Swindon)
- bookhaus (Bristol)
- Falmouth Bookseller (Falmouth)
- FOLDE Dorset (Shaftesbury)
- Gloucester Road Books (Bristol)
- Liznojan Books (Tiverton)
- Mr B’s Emporium of Reading Delights (Bath)
- Storysmith (Bristol)
- The East Gate Bookshop (Totnes)
- Winstone’s Hunting Raven Books (Frome)
To see the complete list of finalists head here.