We’re not exactly overflowing with independent bookshops in Birmingham. But those we do have are incredibly passionate about the written word. Not least of all, The Heath Bookshop in King’s Heath—which was crowned the ‘Independent Bookshop of the Year’ at The British Book Awards 2025 last week (May 12).
After only opening its doors in September 2022, the Birmingham bookshop fought off competition from eight other regional and country winners selected from a list of 72 finalists from across the UK and Ireland. The Heath Bookshop stocks a range of cutting-edge fiction and non-fiction, hosts countless author events, and launched its own literature and music festival in 2024.
“In many ways, the triumph of The Heath Bookshop is a microcosm of the vibrancy of modern independent bookselling,” Tom Tivnan, The Bookseller managing editor, said. “The two owners, Catherine Gale and Claire Dawes, were book industry outsiders who brought entrepreneurship and innovation, taking a scant couple of years to build their business into a thriving community hub.
“There is a great Sliding Doors backstory – the two happened to meet by chance at a Booksellers Association Introduction to Bookselling training course – but they arrived on the scene with the confidence to take big swings, like launching a book festival in The Heath’s second year of trading, but have never stinted on the nitty-gritty of customer service and stock curation. The Heath is a truly worthy winner.”
Speaking to the BBC, Catherine Gale said: “We are absolutely delighted and are so lucky to be in such a lovely area, we’ve had so much support. “It’s a lot of hard work but it is really fun. We are book lovers and we enjoy being in the shop, at events and speaking to people.” So, despite the acclaim, it’s business as usual at The Heath Bookshop.
To learn more about The Heath Bookshop head here.