Books / Awards
Bookhaus manager named among UK’s best booksellers
The Bookseller’s third annual list saluting some of the best book retailers across the UK and Ireland includes the manager of a bookshop in Wapping Wharf.
Darran McLaughlin, who has been in charge of Bookhaus on Rope Walk since it opened in 2021, has been named in the Bookshop Heroes Class of 2022.
After briefly leaving the world of bookselling, he worked in the beer industry and in his spare time helps to organise Bristol Transformed, a festival of politics and culture, takes part in climate activism and is part of the national coordinating group of Momentum.
is needed now More than ever
“This is an honour and also a really nice thing to happen right after our first birthday,” Darran told Bristol24/7.
“We’re a new bookshop, we’re up and coming, but this shows that we’re making a mark and making an impact on the world of bookselling.”
Bookhaus’ vista is set to change almost beyond recognition if plans to further develop Wapping Wharf are approved – photo: Martin Booth
Darran said that his decision to leave bookselling was due to him thinking that people were not reading books any longer.
But he is of course pleased that he was wrong about that, with the resurgence in books due in part he says to us wanting to spend time away from our screens.
So what is Darran trying to create at Bookhaus? It’s a shop with one of the widest selection of books in Bristol, which has also recently hosted launch events for books by authors including Moses McKenzie and Travis Alabanza.
“I have got ambitious ideas,” says Darran.
“We see ourselves as being an essential part of the cultural life of Bristol. We want to be indelibly linked to the city, so when you think of Bristol you think of Bookhaus in the same way that if you think of San Francisco you think of City Lights and you think of New York you think of The Strand.
“It’s about being a community, a hub, being a place for discussion, debate and ideas. That’s the kind of thing that a great city like Bristol deserves.”
Main photo: Martin Booth
Read next:
- My Bristol Favourites: Darran McLaughlin
- Bristol’s bookshop revival challenged to be more inclusive
- Popular bookshop reopens in bigger premises
- Moses McKenzie wins breakthrough writer at Soho House Awards
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