Independent BookStore Day – USA

Submitted: 27th April 2019

Never one to miss a book party, this is a very special day, particularly if you live in the USA. It’s Independant Bookstore day when bookshop across the country celebrate all that is good about bookshops. It’s a wonder that it’s just a day as the list is so long!

They’re where the book wizards live and work, those book fairies who recommend books, hug them, love them and are so excited to tell readers all about them. There’s a line in a Kate Morton book – The Distant Hours – which I always think of when it comes to bookstores and people in them. Even though the sentence is about librarians in the book, add bookshop people to that and you have a very magical idea:

“After all, it’s the librarian’s sworn purpose to bring books together with their one true reader.”

I’ve just spent a lovely weekend in Grassington Yorkshire and where should I end up…….

The Stripey Badger Bookshop (c) TheBookTrail

It’s so cute!

Located in the most idyllic little Yorkshire village – Grassington

Owned by mother and son team Linda and James (Can you adopt me please!)

Opened by the lovely local author Julia Chapman in 2018

Books and book cases galore!

There’s a cafe next door with an adjoining door…

..where there’s tea and cake and candy coloured chairs!

Booktables galore!

Cushions with ‘We Love Indies’ on them!

Chalkboards announce events in store!

As soon as you go in the door…..

Books on tables, books on shelves, candy-colours, shimmering lights….

The Stripey Badger Bookshop (c) TheBookTrail

Then….a booktable close up…Cora Burns is here!!

The Stripey Badger Bookshop book table (c) TheBookTrail

The bit at the back….

Either a book den, Narnia, or somewhere to spend a penny , depending on how you see it. But one of the prettiest corners of any shop I’ve ever seen..

Reader, I sat in that chair and looked out over the Narnia of books afore me….

The Stripey Badger Bookshop stairs! (c) TheBookTrail

From here I could pretend I was like Aslan, on the throne and keeping an eye on my subjects, my books, my land of imagination…

The Stripey Badger Bookshop (c) TheBookTrail

Then when I came down from this book perch and made my way to the till with a new book baby to take home…my book hunger had been satisfied. Well, for now at least. Another type of hunger was rearing its sweet candy-aroma head, so I headed next door. Didn’t even have to go outside as this little bookshop/cafe has thought of everything. Imagine having a lock in here!! (Actually Stripey Badger I would so not mind doing that)

Then there was cake….

The Stripey Badger Bookshop cafe (c) TheBookTrail

I can heartily recommend the lemon and lime drizzle cake! Coffee was lovely and tea was served in old fashioned, patterned china cups. I felt like Alice in Wonderland.

If you are ever anywhere near Grassington in Yorkshire. ( A 20 minute bus ride from nearby Skipton), then you HAVE to visit this store.

The Stripey Badger

And if you want to meet a local author who sets her books in this very area:

Julia Chapman will be at the store June 29th at 2pm for a special book event with tea and scones, book signing and bookish banter! All to help celebrate her new book Date With Poison!