Why bookshops are booming in the TikTok age

Opening your own book shop might be a lofty daydream for some bookworms looking to escape their 9-5, but more and more people are making it a reality.

According to the Booksellers Association, the number of independent book shops in the UK and Ireland is now at its highest level since 2012, with 1,086 stores in 2025 - up from a record low of 867 in 2016.

But what is the reality of life as a small bookseller, competing with Amazon, finding new customers, and actually trying to make a profit?

Sally Flint, 57, opened The Book Stop in Brigg, North Lincolnshire, just six weeks ago.

So far, the "dream" move is living up to her expectations, but it has not been without its challenges.

"It's brilliant. It's just like it's Christmas Day every day, because you're just with other people who love books and love reading," she says.

However, to make her dream possible, Sally is working up to 14 hours a day.

She describes her first foray into bookselling as a "steep learning curve", but says she is having "lots of fun along the way".

Georgina Wilson, 47, opened Clutterbooks in the East Yorkshire seaside town of Hornsea in November 2025.

She "tested the market" in the local community, running a bookshop market stall and book club before taking the plunge when a vacant unit came up for rent.

Georgina describes the move into bookselling from early years education as "brilliant", and says the shop has been "very well received" by local residents, but she also had a lot to learn about running a retail business.

Similar to Sally, Georgina found the start of her bookselling journey "overwhelming" when faced with selecting stock for the shop.

Unlike Sally and Georgina, it was never Sleaford resident Shannon Hanson's dream to own a book shop.

But after starting a local book club, she leapt at the chance to rent a space in the Lincolnshire town.

Opening Chapter & Page Books in Bristol Arcade in August, the 35-year-old says it has been a "baptism of fire".

Shannon juggles her day job as a part-time nurse with running the bookshop. She is assisted by volunteers.

She hopes the bookshop will eventually earn her a living.

While these three booksellers are all enjoying their first leap into bookshop ownership, others have found retail conditions challenging.

One Bristol bookshop recently started a crowd funding campaign to help stay afloat, while another in Clitheroe blamed high rents for the closure of his bookshop.

While reading may have once been seen as a hobby for those in their later years, some research suggests a resurgence in book buying is being driven by a younger audience .

A recent report from Public First, with additional research from EY, found that in 2025 TikTok helped generate £175m in consumer spending on books.

The research also found that nearly half of young adult readers who use TikTok (48%) said they had bought a book after seeing it on the platform.

Sally said she had noticed young people buying items "to have on their shelves, kind of like a trophy book", after initially reading them on an e-reader.

Shannon, who described herself as a "sucker for the social media aspect of books", said she believes that the "social aspect of book reading", such as sharing photographs of your book shelves, or posting reviews online, has driven the resurgence in the popularity of reading.

Shannon thinks people are also coming into bookshops looking for connection rather than products.

She says: "They [bookshops] are not just a brick and mortar shop to sell books. They're actually a community and they're creating events for people that love these types of books."

Sally has taken this further at her bookshop, running other community clubs alongside book clubs, including a regular crochet group and other "special" events, including book signings.

Shannon also holds special events at her book shop, celebrating the release of Gruffalo Granny by Julia Donaldson, with a special visit from the beast himself. Dozens of local children attended.

Georgina now runs eight book clubs a month, which she says has created "a really nice customer base and a really nice sort of community feel to the shop".

They range from clubs for young people, including a home education group for those who are home-schooled, as well as regular groups for adults.

Community is an important aspect of reading for book lover Ian Dixon, 54, from Hull.

He bought more than 550 physical copies of books last year, many of them from independent shops.

"I love visiting bookshops. They're my happy place. Honestly, if I'm ever feeling a bit fed up with myself, I just go out, find a bookshop and I just browse. I could sit in there for hours," he says.

The social aspect is also important for Ian, who cannot work due to living with uncontrollable epileptic seizures. He attends several Hull Silent Book Club events every week.

Though it is still early in Sally, Georgina and Shannon's book selling journeys, they are optimistic that the individuality of their stores can help secure long-term customers.

Listen to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire or Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North .

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