Why supporting indie bookshops is so important

Posted on June 13 2025

Why supporting indie bookshops is so important.

It is so easy to click a few buttons and have a book arrive at your door the next day, but we believe in the magic of walking into a bookshop, browsing the shelves, chatting with the booksellers, and finding books you may not have found otherwise. This is why we think supporting indie bookshops is so important.

It’s a given that any book lover is probably also a bookshop lover. Bookshops allow us to browse thousands of stories, talk to fellow book lovers and support a business that fuels our hobby. It still feels like we’re healing from not being able to go into our beloved bookshops from Covid and we still get excited every time we get to visit one.

There’s a really interesting article on The Guardian that states Gen Z and Millennials are more likely to buy a book based on a book seller's recommendation than older age groups, which means more in-person book shopping! The article speculates the attempt to resist algorithmic recommendations on TikTok and avoid shopping at online bookshops like Amazon means more young people are heading into bookshops. We love to see it!

P.S. if you didn’t know… we are opening our very own indie bookshop on the Wirral, eeeeek!

But why is buying from an indie bookshop so important?

A sense of community

Supporting your local indie means supporting your community, not only economically, but also socially. Bookshops are a space to feel safe and welcome so they often become an integral part of local communities. Bookshops can be a space to host author events, book clubs, children’s events, and creative writing groups. They are great spaces to foster creativity and bring people together.

The personal experience

Unlike certain huge megamind companies that exist only to make a profit, when shopping indie you are getting a curated, personal experience. Each indie shop is different from the last and you can so clearly see the personalities of the owners within the walls. When it comes to book shopping, we love being able to ask booksellers for recommendations or see which books they’ve highlighted this month, it makes the experience feel way more personal. Another brilliant way to support your favourite indie bookshop is by using Libro.fm for your audiobooks. It works in the same way as the other big buy at the same price - but profits are shared with your nominated independent bookstore! Once you’ve chosen your bookshop you’ll see it reflected in the website’s branding, in your order confirmations and even in the recommendations and playlists, as these are made by the booksellers in the store you know and love.

Supporting the local economy

By supporting your local indie bookshop, or any other local indie shop, you are supporting your local economy and businesses who are paying local taxes, hiring within the local area and usually supporting other local businesses too. By putting money into these indies, you are helping your town grow and thrive.

Championing diverse and local voices

Going into an indie bookshop always feels special, but especially so because they can hand-pick the books they offer. This means that as well as offering mainstream bestsellers, indie bookshops can also curate a more personal and thoughtful library of offerings. They can highlight local authors, underrepresented authors and unique books that feel special to each bookshop. Yes, it may be easier to buy a book on the dreaded big website we do not name, but if you want to keep having the choice to go into physical bookshops and see this industry grow and thrive, shopping indie is the way to go. A lot of indie bookshops also offer the ability to shop online, so if you’d rather browse from the comfort of your own home, you can still support indies! You may also want to check out bookshop.org who offer a vast catalogue of online books to shop from and the ability to support your local indie with any purchase made.

Support your local indie bookshop friends!