An independent Wirral bookstore that's 'at the heart of the community' has been shortlisted for a national award.
Linghams Booksellers in Heswall has made the North of England shortlist in the Independent Bookshop of the Year awards, an accolade which celebrates the work of independent bookstores in the community. The shop is owned by Sue Porter and her husband Mike King, who moved back to the Wirral from the Isle of Wight to set up the shop.
52-year-old Sue is originally from Greasby and now lives in Heswall. Her lifelong love for books led her to make the move from working as a benefit fraud investigator to fulfiling the dream of owning her own bookstore.
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Explaining the story behind the shop, Sue said: "I bought the shop with my husband in 2015 and we took it over as it was due to close. I didn't have a background in bookselling but had always loved reading.
"We were living on the Isle of Wight when we bought the store. I was working as a benefit fraud investigator at the time, so I did some courses in London before moving up and opening the store. We did lots of author events from day one and the shop just grew from there.
"I have always been a massive reader, even now I read at least two books a week. I love doing hand-written recommendations for our customers and discussing the new books that have been released to help people find things they'd love to read."
Linghams Booksellers has been announced as a regional finalist for The British Book Awards 2023 Independent Bookshop of the Year award. The shortlisted bookshops must first compete to win their region, with the victorious store announced on Thursday, March 16. The overall national winner will be then announced at an awards ceremony on Monday, May 15.
Speaking of her delight at making the finals, Sue said: "It's absolutely amazing. It's such a huge competition, so to be selected as a finalist for the north is amazing and such a lovely feeling. I'm so pleased.
"The high street is a difficult place at the moment, so anything that raises awareness of independents is important. You can't get the feeling of walking in a bookstore and experiencing the smell of the books online, or get personalised recommendations.
"We love suggesting books to people that will take them away to all sorts of amazing places. There's real love and passion for what we do. We're at the heart of the community here in Heswall."
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