A bookshop with a difference says it is going from strength to strength in the centre of Malvern.
The Malvern Book Cooperative was set up 11 years ago when a previous independent bookshop closed.
One of eight book cooperatives around the UK, the shop offers a range of classics, bestsellers, modern literature and children’s books.
“It’s now a thriving bookshop much loved by the local community,” said a spokesperson.
“The bookshop sits in the heart of Great Malvern, in a historic building in St Ann’s Road.
“It’s well-placed to serve book lovers and browsers shopping in town, and to attract walkers and visitors coming down off the hills.”
Because it’s a cooperative, decisions on how the shop is run are made by its members, which include staff and customers.
Profits are ploughed back into the business, and into the local community through the MBC’s Outreach Literacy Project.
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Staff are paid the Living Wage, and the Book Coop is very active in working with local schools and events.
The shop was the official bookseller at the first-ever Malvern Festival of Stories in October 2022, when eight authors gave talks and workshops.
More recently, it supported the Malvern Festival of Ideas with a pop-up bookstore that sold in excess of 400 books over the weekend.
It has also hosted local author events including Sally Trepte, the author of a book about Warwick House, and novelist Victoria Walker, author of Snug in Iceland and The Island in Bramble Bay.
A bestseller in recent months has been Martin Hutchison’s account of how Malvern became a key player in the Second World War: Top Secret - Boffins Come to Malvern.
The spokesperson said the arrival of another bookshop, Rossiter's, in Great Malvern would be welcomed.
“The post-pandemic growth of the book market, both generally and here in Malvern with the imminent arrival of Rossiter’s across the road, will help to boost Malvern as a destination for literature-lovers and benefit all the booksellers in the town,” they said.
“New ventures being planned for MBC include the return of the much-loved coffee and cake corner.”
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