Our first Independent Bookshop of the Month of 2025 is Bàrd Books, an independent bookshop (with a well-stocked bar!) on Roman Road, Tower Hamlets, which opened in July 2024.
Tell us the story of your shop.
If we had a penny for how many times we’ve heard from others, ‘Hey, I’ve always dreamed of opening up my own bookshop!’ well, we’d have a few pennies. Bàrd Books exists because Vicki decided that she didn’t want to keep dreaming anymore; if she was going to make a move, it was now or never. As with anything, if you fail, at least you tried. If you don’t try, then you’ll definitely fail. Bàrd is both an homage to original Scottish storyteller Robert Burns and a playful nod to our full bar and carefully curated wine selection. We’re located in Tower Hamlets near Victoria Park, a diverse area. We’ve tried to tailor our vast array of events in order to bring different members of our community together, providing a space to chat, relax and discover.
What are the booksellers reading at the moment?
Kristin is reading her first Deborah Levy (can you believe it!), Hot Milk. It won’t be her last. She just finished Eliza Clark’s collection, She’s Always Hungry . . . biting, funny and edgy in the best way.
Owner Vicki, forever in the midst of three to thirty books, tries her best to keep on top of the never-ending stream of proofs coming in the door. She’s finished Anna Whitwham’s Soft Tissue Damage from Rough Trade Books and LOVED it, obviously we’re thinking through logistics of hosting a boxing night here . . . do you think we could fit in a ring if we shift the tables? Now, Vicki’s on to Martyr by Kaveh Akbar.
Sarah, a constant fan of unusual protagonists, is reading Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi.
Jess is reading Wild Swans by Jung Chang, a sprawling intergenerational story of three women’s changing lives in China.
And Barry, always on the look-out for lost treasures, is reading Was by Geoff Ryman.
What’s your favourite thing about your shop?
The staff, obvs. The truffle crisps. The wine. Our regulars who bring us homemade raspberry jam and gingerbread-shark cookies. The books. We like new shiny books. The feeling of opening up a large box of new releases never gets old, it’s like Christmas every day. Our spicy margarita tap machine. Our colourful flash fiction competition board. The decadent pain suisse pastries from The Snapery. It’s hard to choose a favourite thing when we have so much good going for us. We only opened in July, and it’s yet to feel like a real job . . .
Tell us your ideal day in your neighbourhood – especially other local independent businesses you’d love visitors to discover.
Start with a coffee and a browse at Bàrd, walk away with a fresh book. Then, buy a homemade gift for a friend next door at Urban Makers. Get some sustenance in the form of a chicken sarnie down the road at Mae + Harvey. Pop into SNAP for wrapping paper and a chat. Then make your way into Victoria Park for the Sunday Market – you can always bring the Bàrd shop dog, Jessie, along with you. She loves a walk. Find a bench or a dry spot of grass and immerse yourself in your new read.
Do you have a favourite type of customer?
Our favourite type of customer is someone who comes in looking for a recommendation. We love being treated like personal shoppers. Tell us the last few books you’ve enjoyed, and let us introduce you to something new and exciting.
What’s the best book recommendation you’ve ever given?
We have never given a bad recommendation. Fact. The best, though, is probably the time Vicki was asked to find something for a customer’s father who wanted to read something illustrating the British Indian experience and handed them a copy of Hanif Kureishi’s Shattered.
Or maybe the best recommendations don’t come from us at all. Our children (Vicki and Kristin are both really excellent mothers) spend a lot of time here in the shop and have, on more than one occasion, helped steer our younger customers in the right direction. They’ve pushed Bunny vs Monkey into the hands of an apathetic reader only to get a thank you the next day for introducing them to a book that has ignited a love of reading.
Who’s your dream author to visit the shop – dead or alive?
Here is a list in no particular order of authors we’d love to see in Bàrd (even in spectral form):
Bukowski, Murakami, Bret Easton Ellis, Sayaka Murata, Terry Pratchett, Claire Keegan, Dorothy Parker, Lynne Tillman, Eliza Clark, Margaret Atwood . . . I feel like we could go on.
Now there’s a funny image, all of these greats in here at the same time. I wonder what Bukowski and Margaret Atwood would talk about?
Will you tell us a shop secret? A mystery is also acceptable.
We don’t have any secrets. But definitely don’t go down into our basement.
If we have to say something, maybe this isn’t a secret, but people seem to think that just because a book has been published that means we MUST have it on our shelves. The beauty of having an independent bookshop is that we can curate the bookshelves to our tastes. And we’ve done that. What we have in shop, completely, are books that we’ve read and think others should read OR books that we want to read. That’s it. If a book is not for us, we won’t stock it, which means our customers can feel confident picking something off the shelf knowing it’s been properly vouched for.
What do you still find surprising about being a bookseller?
How little we sit down. Honestly. We are an active bunch of youngsters here (yes, I just described us like that), but we’ve all been complaining of sore legs and backs and ankles. Coming into it, we had a romantic idea in our head of sitting behind a desk reading book after book while occasionally chatting to a customer. This is not the case. We are constantly running around. There is always something to do. We are sweating. I am sweating now typing this. And I’m not sitting down.
You can visit Bàrd Books at 341-343 Roman Rd, Bow, London E3 5QR, or order from them online at wearebardbooks.co.uk or via uk.bookshop.org
Think we should feature your local independent bookshop? Tell us about your favourite indie bookseller here.
