Who are we?
We opened our doors in April 2023, the fulfilment of a lifetime’s wish, as a small independent bookshop with a Scottish heart but international outlook. We aim to provide a welcoming, interesting and creative bookshop at the heart of our community.
Environmental Policy
We care deeply about the natural world and the heightening climate emergency. Whilst global responses and inter-government action are urgently required to address the increasing changes to our climate, we will do our best to try and address the situation however we can, in whatever small ways possible.
We have adopted the Booksellers’ Association Green Bookselling Pledge and
Sustainable Bookselling Manifesto as the core structure of our green business planning activities and aim to meet all requirements by the end of 2026. The Pledge logo is displayed inside the bookshop and on our website and email signatures.
Reducing our impact on the planet
We reduce our impact on the planet by minimising waste and making our premises run as efficiently as possible. We are very lucky to be tenants of a very well-insulated building with efficient LED lighting and a heating system which includes a water-source heat pump, harnessing power from the Pennywhiggam Burn which flows alongside the Bookshop Garden. In autumn and winter we occasionally use a solid fuel stove, with wood supplied by a farm on the edge of Stow – less than half a mile from the bookshop.
Our Bookshop Garden has been opened as a public space for picnics and events and for anyone to use, parts of which have been left to rewild. We have been delighted to see wildflowers, including orchids, grow here over the last couple of years. Additional plants have been chosen and panted by The Stow Disrupters, for their attributes in attracting pollinators. The Stow Disrupters is a movement of young activists and environmentalists working within their community to create a sustainable and just future. We work with them to help them achieve their goals within their Learning for Sustainability Action Plan.
Thinking locally, acting globally
We prioritise local businesses and suppliers wherever possible and limit our orders to a needs-only basis rather than bulk buying. We reuse or recycle all packaging. All of our toys and games are plastic free and all bags and packing materials used are recyclable or biodegradable.
Aiming for plastic-free
We do not sell or use any single-use plastic items.
We are working towards higher environmental and sustainability standards, including aiming to be plastic free as quickly as possible, in the products we sell and in the equipment we use. We use only environmentally-friendly cleaning products and gardening practices in our outdoor spaces.
We have joined the Green Tourism Award scheme and hope to earn an award soon by working through their extensive criteria.
Equality, inclusion and diversity
We aim to be a welcoming and inclusive bookshop, accessible to the whole community. We pay particular attention to the history, culture and communities of the Scottish Borders and wider south of Scotland, reflecting the agricultural and industrial character of our region.
We champion all voices, from all backgrounds, welcoming all except those who promote intolerance or hate. We take a zero tolerance stance against racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic or sectarian language and actions.
We display in our window an “LGBTQI+ Bookseller / LGBTQI+ Safe Zone” sign at our front door and on our website and email signatures and we are proud to host the only (as far as we know) LGBTQI+ book group in the south of Scotland.
We hope to offer a rich, variety of books for customers from across diverse cultures and lived experiences. Our bookshelves reflect our shared values and include voices from the LGBTQI+ community as well as voices reflecting differing experiences around the world. We do sell the very latest bestsellers but we also like to showcase books that have maybe been overlooked or a little forgotten. We are delighted to have received many compliments on the curated selection of books on offer.
We believe that books should be for everyone and we continue to support a wider availability of books through our Pay it Forward scheme and through supporting local charities. We have also adopted a policy of making our author events and activities normally free but occasionally will charge a small ticket price to help us cover costs. We will always do our best to help everyone attend
events, so let us know if you need our help with this.
We will only use or recommend third party companies or suppliers with proven ethical, environmental and social policies, including our B-Corp partners at Uk.Bookshop.org and Libro.
We will not promote books or services published through Amazon or Audible, both of which we actively boycott.
We have adopted Real Living Wage pay levels.
Accessibility
We are situated in a bookshop on two floors, with the upper story accessible only by stairs. There is, currently, no lift to the first floor. Please see our full Accessibility Guide for details (pending completion shortly).
We do not have a public toilet in the bookshop but we are located near to other businesses which do.