Books / Bookshops
Bristol indies ready for 20th anniversary of Independent Bookshop Week
The annual Independent Bookshop Week is celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2026 – and will return to beloved indie booksellers nationwide from June 13 to 20.
While there are lots of special events planned to mark the occasion, the initiative is ultimately geared towards supporting and publicising independents, and bringing new audiences in through the door.
Happily, Bristol’s flourishing scene caters for avid readers in all corners of the city.
South of the river, Storysmith Books has been joined by new addition, A Very Small Bookshop, over in Willway Yard.
A Very Small Bookshop, Willway Yard – photo: Karen Johnson
Central Bristol offers a range of options for literary enthusiasts, including Dreadnought Books on St George’s Road, The Last Bookshop on Park Street, Arnolfini Bookshop on Narrow Quay and Bookhaus in Wapping Wharf.
Second-hand bookshop Beware of the Leopard can be found inside St Nick’s Market and Second Page in the Galleries.
St Nick’s Market is now also the home of Shambles Bookshop; while nestled within SPARKS are both Mother Works Hard and Paper Tales.
Up the hill to Clifton, destinations include Heron Books and Clifton Community Bookshop, and continuing north to Henleaze, readers can seek out Max Minerva’s.
Newly opened the BookCellar on Stokes Croft is both a bookshop and a wine bar; with the Haunted Bookshop also on Stokes Croft specialising in horror, fantasy, folklore, witchcraft and the occult; while a short walk away, Gloucester Road Books continues to thrive.
And for readers to the east of the city, East Bristol Books on Old Market Street is complemented by The Small City Bookshop on Church Road in Redield.
East Bristol Books has become a popular addition to Old Market – photo: EBB
Irish/British novelist Kit de Waal is an ambassador for this year’s event, and a longtime proponent of the added value that indie bookshops offer to readers and writers alike.
“Independent bookshops bring people together at the counter, at events, in those long, unexpected conversations and that sense of connection is as nourishing as the books themselves”, she asserts.
“For authors, new or established, an independent bookshop is often the first place someone presses your work into a reader’s hands and says, ‘You’ll love this,’ which is the best publicity you can get.
“Above all, independent bookshops quietly protect the simple joy of reading for pleasure: the browsing, the discovery, the feeling of walking out with a story you didn’t know you needed until someone who loves books put it in your path.”
Independent Bookshop Week 2026 runs from June 13-20, across independent bookshops nationwide. Follow @booksaremybag and visit your local independent bookshop to find out more.
Main photo: Martin Booth
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