A Tower Hamlets bookshop is up for a prestigious award – despite being open for only eight months.
Bàrd Books, one of at least six bookshops to open in London last year, is a finalist for the Independent Bookshop of the Year Award 2025.
Behind the bookshelves is owner Vicki Shenkin Kerr, 42, a Tower Hamlets resident with 20 years of experience running bars and restaurants.
Shenkin Kerr often talked about running a bookish restaurant but never imagined her love for books turning into a profession.
She said: “At a certain point in your life, you got to stop talking about it and do it.”
Her dream was realised when she saw an estate agent packing up, and she made a deposit the following week.
Many factors drove the decision, such as the loneliness she experienced during COVID-19 and her desire to inspire her children.
Shenkin Kerr said: “I want to inspire them to know that you can do something you feel genuinely passionate about.”
Bàrd Books takes up a colourful corner of Roman Road with local art on the walls and a cosy café area at the front of the shop.
One wall is dedicated to their monthly flash fiction contest, where the winner receives a free margarita and bragging rights.
With over 100,000 books being published in the UK each year, Shenkin Kerr and her team select the 4000 books for their shop with care and precision.
She said: “Everything you find in our shop will be something [our team] have read or want to read”
Along with the personal touches, care for the community is at the forefront of Bàrd Books’ operations.
They have hosted stand-up comedy nights, pub quizzes, and even a gilding workshop.
According to the National Literacy Trust, there has been an 8.8% decrease in the number of children who enjoy reading in the past year.
To combat this, Bàrd Books offers a ‘bring one, take one’ swap box to make reading more accessible for young children.
She said: “We are really trying, maybe at the detriment of the business, to support this community.”
Independent Bookshops experienced a slight downward trend in 2024.
The Booksellers Association revealed that the number of independent bookshops has declined slightly in 2024 from 1063 to 1052.
Shop manager Kristin Griffin, 34, gave her two cents on their remarkable success.
Griffin said: “We’re not trying to fit in any boxes.
“We can only really be ourselves, and I think it’s working for us.”
She added: “We spend so much time virtually that [Bàrd Books] brings back a bit of humanity to [the community] and we get to be people again.”
Painter and Bàrd Books regular, Ollie Marr, 29, first noticed the shop while walking his dog.
He said: “It popped up and gave life to the streets.”
Marr remembered when the Bàrd Books team helped him with his holiday reads.
He said: “We spent about half an hour finding books that would suit my taste.
“It felt really personal.”
The Independent Bookshop of the Year Award recognises bookshops that ‘reach beyond the literary landscape and bring books to the heart of local communities’.
Other North-East London finalists include Pages of Hackney and Brick Lane Bookshop.
Regional winners will be announced on March 11, and the national winner will be crowned at the British Book Awards ceremony on May 12.
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