Stewarton bookshop celebrating award shortlist
The Book Nook has been nominated for the Independent Bookshop of the Year
A bookshop owner in Stewarton is celebrating her store being shortlisted for the Independent Bookshop of the Year Awards.
The Book Nook is one of 77 shops across the UK to make the list, and they will all be vying to win their regions before going for the national prize.
Owner of the Book Nook, Sarah Frame, says it has been a “life-long” dream of hers to win.
She said: “I’m just absolutely thrilled to be shortlisted again this year.
“I’m excited to say I was shortlisted in 2022 and 2023 as well, so, I’ve been shortlisted for all the three years I’ve been trading, but even then this year, I hoped I would be shortlisted, but you never know.”
She added: “All indie bookshops are worthy winners, but it’s just wonderful to get the recognition of it, and for the people in Stewarton as well, it helps put Stewarton on the map, people see what a lovely wee town it is.”
The winner of the regional awards will be announced on Tuesday March 12, and the finalists will head to Grosvenor House in London in May for the overall prize announcement.
The awards highlight shops with a strong connection to their communities, something Sarah has been working on with book clubs and links with local schools.
She said: “I quite often say to people if you want the community to support you, you have to be seen to be supporting the community, so that is at the route of it all.”
The Book Nook has an area for young children to enjoy reading, as well as regular visits from authors and a book club once a week.
The awards will also look to celebrate bookshops who are managing to stay afloat, even after the pandemic and the cost of living crisis.
The Bookseller managing editor, Tom Tivnan said: “One of the things that is driven home by the selection process for this award is how lucky book buyers in the UK and Ireland are as we are truly in an independent bookshop renaissance.
“This year’s cohort is one of the strongest I have seen in my 15 years judging this award. Indies have come out of the pandemic and into a cost-of-living and business rates crises, yet still through innovation and creativity thrive as never before.
“They are lynchpins for our high street, bringing jobs, footfall and communities together.
"I'm just absolutely thrilled"
“You can’t really pin these indies down as they encompass general booksellers and those who sell into niches; or new shops which have bravely opened in the shadow of the pandemic to businesses that have literally been trading for centuries.
“But if there is a through-line it is that their collective knowledge and passion shine through and prove once again how much better shop floor expertise is than an algorithm.”
Sarah added her thanks to the people who help her with The Book Nook, saying: “To my team that work with me, to the extended team that help me, to all the customers, authors, suppliers, it’s just recognising that all that hard work from everybody is creating something worthwhile that’s been recognised, so it means so much.”