Shops / Shop of the Week
Shop of the Week: Heron Books, Clifton
Ever wondered why it’s called Heron Books?
According to the bookshop’s owner, Lizzie Moss, it’s partly because she loves herons but also because her grandmother’s surname was Heron too.
In fact, many generations ago, Lizzie’s family also had a crest which depicted a hand around a heron’s neck.
is needed now More than ever
Lizzie established Heron Books in 2022.
Although she had always wanted to be a bookshop owner, it took a few years working at a (“huge” and “glorious”) Waterstones in Cambridge before she finally got the opportunity to open a shop of her own.
With some support from family, she bought a space in Clifton Arcade but now, after three years nestled within Victorian architecture, Heron Books has moved to 7a Regent Street, further up the road.
Heron Books have recently moved to a new location on Regent Street
While at the Clifton Arcade, Heron Books earned a reputation as ‘one of Bristol’s smallest bookshops‘, but now, on Regent Street, they have a lot more room to play with.
Since moving, Lizzie and her fellow bookseller Harry think their “vitamin D levels have changed” thanks to finally having access to large windows and direct sunlight in store.
They’ve enjoyed welcoming in old customers as well as meeting new people from their new home.
They think what makes customers keep coming back is Heron Book’s “characteristic stamp”.
Lizzie’s current favourite is Rural Hours by Harriet Baker while Harry’s is Scenes from a Childhood by Jon Fosse
Lizzie personally decides on each book the shop stocks, with her customers in mind.
This allows for Heron Books to fit the needs of many people near and far ranging from students, local residents and even those coming to visit Bristol for the day.
Lizzie also hosts five different book clubs from Heron Books every month. There’s a fiction club, a non-fiction club, a ‘Ruthless’ club, a poetry club and a short fiction club. All are free to attend.
But what’s Lizzie’s favourite book at the moment?
“Oh Golly! It’s really, really hard for a bookseller to do this,” said Lizzie.
“In terms of a current favourite, let’s say Rural Hours by Harriet Baker, it’s absolutely superb and I’m cheating slightly because this book features three of my favourite authors within it (Virginia Wolf, Sylvia Townsend Warner and Rosalind Lehman), so that helps.”
Harriet Baker is based in Clifton and recently won the Sunday Times Charlotte Aitken Young Writer of the Year Award for her work on Rural Hours.
Lizzie personally decides on each book Heron Books stocks
However, Lizzie’s first love was I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith, which she first read when she was 12. She revisits the book often and gets something new out of it every time.
She explained:”It begins with one of the best opening lines in literature: ‘I write this sitting in the kitchen sink’.
“And there is romance in there, and heartbreak and tragedy and dancing and examinations of class and examinations of creativity…it’s a very special book, and I think you can read it at any age.
“It changes every time, but you should read it again and again and again.”
Does Lizzie have any bookseller hot takes?
Her not-so-hot take is a view most book lovers have: books are better read when you hold them instead of online. Harry also echoes these views.
Looking to the future, both are excited about the many books they have coming into the new store.
Towards the end of our conversation, Lizzie emphasised that Heron Books haven’t moved to just for “growth’s sake”. They moved because the needs of their community expanded.
Perhaps that’s why Heron Books have been so successful, their customers notice the individual care they get and continue to reward it.
All photos: Mihai Rosca
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