Bob Stone was on his way to open his shop in Waterloo one morning when a segment on the radio cause him to stop the car. It said that one third of teachers believed the current downward trend in reading for pleasure was irreversible.
As owner of Waterloo’s only independent bookshop Bob, was not convinced. Bob, 62, opened Write Blend in 2015, when his former workplace closed and a dream premises appeared on South Road.
Having fulfilled a long-held dream of owning a bookshop, locals have since kept Bob’s shop alive for over ten years.
Today the shop sells children’s and adults’ fiction and non-fiction titles, the latest bestsellers, classics, and modern classics.
Bob, who lives in Bootle with his wife, said: “It may be true that reading for pleasure is at an all-time low but I don’t believe it is irreversible. There wouldn’t be much point in me getting up for work each day if it was. Sometimes people simply need to find the right book.
“That is why independent bookshops are so important. We give that time to talk to people and find the book for them.”
Write Blend also offers a comfy seating area where Bob says parents will spend time reading to their children inside the shop.
Bob said: “Reading has got so much competition but I do think that with the write encouragement people can relearn the joy of sitting quietly with a book and I do think it does good to start with children. We all remember books we used to love as kids”.
Bob’s shop also hosts regular events and author signings – and visitors will even find a record shop upstairs.
In a bid to publicise the fact that, for many people, the love of reading is as alive as ever, Bob put out a call on social media in March. He invited everyone who wanted to write a short piece about their own love of reading and how books have influenced their lives to send in their stories and he would publish them.
The result was an anthology called Our Lives In Books published in July, containing testimony from almost 60 book lovers and authors, including local talent.
Bob said: “There are some people I expected to contribute but I didn’t anticipate just how many submissions I would receive.”
Among the work that was submitted, there were pieces by award-winning horror author Ramsey Campbell, best-selling children’s author Cathy Cassidy, Emmerdale star Samantha Giles, and Paul Magrs, author of Doctor Who books and scripts for Big Finish’s Doctor Who audio drama range. The cover was created by Lancashire-born illustrator, Catherine L Owen.
Bob was delighted with the response: “There were pieces by authors who love to write but don’t often submit their work for publication. But maybe best of all, there were a number of pieces from readers who love books, but have never written anything before, let alone had anything published.”
Bob’s hopes that Our Lives In Books can reignite the joy of reading for anyone who feels the spark has gone out.
Describing the small number of bookshops between Liverpool and Southport – the nearest bookshop being Pritchard’s in Crosby – he added that communities have a “responsibility” to keep bookshops open.
Despite the challenges of increasing overheads, including the price of books, and competition with supermarkets who are able to sell bestsellers at cheaper prices, Bob believes independents maintain their advantages.
He said: “We have more choice, bigger ranges and more knowledge. If you want to know what else to read, I can give you chapter and verse”.
Bob added: “We live in a horribly polarised world where people on all sides find it acceptable to subject each other to the most appalling abuse on social media. The love of books unites us, though. If I meet someone who enjoys the same books as me, I’ll happily talk to them for hours and we can put all other differences aside, even if it is just for a while.”
