Earlier this year, the UK’s Booksellers Association (BA) published a report on the role played by Welsh bookshops in their communities. It gave voice to what we already instinctively know: that the country’s 116 bookshops – 64 of them independents – are crucial for promoting Welsh culture and language, championing literacy, connecting readers with writers and acting as social and community hubs.
All the more reason to cherish them. And Monty Lit Fest feels especially lucky to partner with not one, but two brilliant indies, Booka Books from just across the border in Oswestry and The Montgomery Bookshop in Montgomery.
You could not find a more beautiful book space than The Montgomery Bookshop, where we caught up with owners Richard Eaves and Barry Lord to talk about bookselling in a small community. They heartily echo the BA’s findings.
‘Bookselling is more than just retail’, says Barry, ‘it’s about people coming together, sharing their own stories too. Selling books is a joy because it means forging relationship, making friends, widening your own understanding of people.’
It’s this presence in the local community, providing a social space for people to have a chat as well as buy a book, that’s at the heart of Richard and Barry’s approach. Inspired by their local bookshop in Much Wenlock, moving to Monty also meant the search for the right premises to create their own welcoming book space, with the shop opening in December 2018.
From their decision to play relaxing Welsh folk music (‘we didn’t want the shop to feel like a 1950s library’) to a perfectly curated selection of books, the shop has become a much-loved part of the town. Whether it’s offering reading recommendations, taking on the trickiest sourcing challenges (‘that book about nature with the blue cover’; Harry Potter in Latin), or stocking a range of Welsh language books that attracts customers from a wide area, Richard and Barry encapsulate local bookselling at its very best: ‘There’s no better feeling than recommending a book that strikes a chord, welcoming our regulars or the joy of not knowing who’s about to come through the door.’
They clearly take their role in the wider book ecosystem seriously, learning from and supporting other booksellers and championing local authors. They value their close relationship with the Books Council of Wales, and feel that the Booksellers Association is there to offer help when needed: ‘Other booksellers have always been generous with their advice and encouragement. We’ve always felt a clear sense of shared goals and energy.’
Richard and Barry discovered Monty Lit Fest by accident, stumbling upon our inaugural event in Llanfyllin in 2018, just before they opened the shop. Since then, they’ve become some of the Festival’s greatest advocates. ‘It makes sense because we share the same core value: encouraging people to read’, says Richard. ‘We love the buzz around books that the Festival brings to the town. I always feel a sense of anticipation as the programme is revealed and we love it when authors and Festival-goers visit the shop.’
The feeling from all of us at Monty Lit Fest is mutual. From selling tickets and joint promotions to a shared passion for authors from Wales and the borders and our ‘something-for’ everyone’ philosophy, The Montgomery Books has become a much-valued partner. But perhaps the last word should go to Barry: ‘Like us, Monty Lit Fest is about community, broadening people’s horizons and reminding people that books are for everyone. We have a positive two-way relationship that works for everyone.’
We couldn’t have put it better ourselves. Bookselling in this particular part of mid-Wales is in very good hands indeed.
Visit The Montgomery Bookshop 9 Arthur St, Montgomery SY15 6RA.