Congratulations are in order for a small independent book shop on the Isle of Wight, after it was selected as a finalist in the Independent Bookshop of the Year at The British Book Awards (otherwise known as The Nibbies).
Mrs Middleton’s Shop and The Rabbit Hole in Freshwater (see on Facebook and Abe Books) is a treasure trove of a book shop with a delightful tea room.
Visitors to the book shop will find it a totally enchanting space with Gail Downey and her husband, Nick Creagh-Osborne, playing host, both passionate about books and reading.
A wealth of experience
Gail has led an exciting and varied life, having been a model, an actor (you may have seen her in Casualty or The Bill), a knitwear designer (for John Galliano no less), set up her own fashion label, a yoga teacher and mother to three sons.
Nick has a rich background in bookselling, having been a former manager for The Travel Bookshop, as well as having worked at Daunt Books, Waterstones and Harrods.
Stiff competition
Mrs Middleton’s Shop And The Rabbit Hole, is up against nine other independent book shops in the South East region. The shops will compete to win in their region, with winners announced on Tuesday 12th March.
They will then contend for the overall prize, which will be announced at the ceremony held at Grosvenor House London on Monday 13th May 2024.
Tom Tivnan, managing editor at The Bookseller, who run the awards, 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.”
Tom added,
“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.”
