There’s something quietly revolutionary about stepping into an independent bookshop.
Not the kind of revolution that makes headlines or causes governments to wobble, but the sort that stirs the soul.
The slow-burn type.
A revolution of thought, of imagination, of stories that aren’t fed through algorithms or dropped on your doorstep in a cardboard box. Independent bookshops are living, breathing things — part cultural hub, part refuge, part magical wardrobe to other worlds.
And we need them more than ever.
Take Kim’s Bookshop in Arundel, for example — a true Sussex treasure.
If you’ve never visited, put it on your list. Creaking floors, shelves that go full Narnia, and people within who know their craft and remember your name.
You don’t just browse at Kim’s; you explore.
You rummage.
You find.
A yellowing first edition here, an unexpected poetry collection there, or that novel you didn’t know you needed until it stared back at you from the shelf. It’s a place of happy accidents and gentle surprises — the very opposite of online retail's cold efficiency or the magnolia washed blandness of the big names, lots of heads but absolutely no heart and soul.
Kim’s, like so many independents up and down the country, doesn’t just sell books — it nurtures them.
And it’s customers.
Curates them.
Gives them the dignity, time and space they deserve. And in doing so, it nurtures readers too. Real readers. The sort who still believe that turning a page is a small act of rebellion in a world that never stops scrolling.
But let’s not sugarcoat it. Running an independent bookshop isn’t a whimsical lifestyle choice.
It’s tough, often thankless, and deeply dependent on people choosing to walk through the door rather than click ‘Add to basket’.
Margins are tight.
Overheads are high.
And yet, these shops endure — often fuelled more by love than by profit. The staff don’t just work in bookshops. They belong to them. And, if you let them, they’ll make you feel like you belong there too.
So why support your local independent? Because it’s not just about books. It’s about community. It’s about human connection. It’s about choosing slow over fast, soul over algorithm.
Every book you buy from an indie helps keep the lights on for someone who genuinely cares about the stories we tell — and the people who read them.
Let’s not lose that.
So next time you're in Arundel, pop into Kim’s. Buy a book — or five. Chat. Linger. Let the place work its magic. And wherever you are in the country, find your local independent and give them your custom, not just your compliments.
Because places like Kim’s don’t just deserve to survive — they deserve to thrive.
https://www.kimsbookshops.co.uk/arundel/
