Linghams Booksellers boasts an international community of literature lovers who call themselves the "Linghams tribe."
The business, located in Heswall, Wirral, dates back almost 25 years. After years of trading, it was due to close in 2015 before Sue Porter, book aficionado and the current Linghams owner, swept in to save it.
The 52-year-old initially lived on the Isle of Wight, working as a fraud investigation officer, but after homesickness for Heswall became too much, she decided to make the trip back. Looking for a venue to invest in, Sue contacted numerous bookstores who offered her valuable advice on making the next step.
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After deliberating for months, she eventually stumbled across the Linghams. Sue told the ECHO: "It was due to close that September but my husband and I bought it. He doesn't work in the shop but we've had it since then and it's gone from, strength to strength."
Linghams now boasts an 18-person strong team to ensure the business, and its on-site cafe, runs smoothly seven days a week, although everyone is a self-declared bookworm. She added: "I absolutely love reading. We all do, even the baristas. I've always been a huge fan of books and that's one of my favourite parts of the job, to be honest. I've given people recommendations on what they've just read or pointed them somewhere new entirely."
With so many high street heavyweights to compete with, Sue and the team focused on delivering the best service and community they could. She said: "You can't just stand behind a counter and sell books these days, you have to offer something more. We put on all of these events so people can meet their favourite authors or get fine copies. We want to give people a unique experience."
Over 500 online events were delivered during the lockdown which invited book fanatics from all over the world to take in the Linghams experience. The local community and those travelling from afar have backed the business so much that they're not considered simply as customers, but something entirely more personal.
Sue said: "We refer to them as Linghams' tribe and they're not just local they're international. There's a huge support behind us and without that, we wouldn't be here." Discussing her own love for the bookshop, she added: "The day you wake up and don't have that passion is the end.
"I get so excited about meeting customers, who we've got coming into the store when I'm doing orders and obviously I do a lot of reading... I'm so enthusiastic and passionate about books and all of this as a whole."
Linghams is at 248 Telegraph Road, Heswall and is open Monday to Saturday 9am-5pm and hold special events through the month.
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