Bookshop owners overwhelmed after winning award

Co-founders Catherine Gale (left) and Claire Dawes (right), pictured with assistant Abi Buller, opened the shop in 2022

When Catherine Gale and Claire Dawes signed up for a virtual course to learn about running a bookshop, they had no idea where it might take them.

Four years later, they are co-owners of The Heath bookshop in Kings Heath, Birmingham, and have won an award for Independent Bookshop of the Year.

Their success was announced at the British Book Awards. The pair said they were "completely overwhelmed" by the news and had received so many positive messages.

"We are absolutely delighted and are so lucky to be in such a lovely area, we've had so much support," Catherine Gale said.

Ms Gale and Ms Dawes became friends in 2021 after meeting on the bookshop training course and opened their shop a year later to share their love for reading and coffee with others.

"It's a lot of hard work but it is really fun. We are book lovers and we enjoy being in the shop, at events and speaking to people," Ms Gale said.

The British Book Awards described it as a "thriving community hub"

Ms Gale said she had dreamt of opening a bookshop since she was young, but she didn't think it was something she would ever be able to achieve.

However, after lockdown she gave up her job as a behaviour analyst after more than two decades and made the leap to change careers.

The British Book Awards, also known as the Nibbies, has been showcasing authors since 1990 and described the bookshop as a "thriving community hub" in Kings Heath.

The pair received a golden pen nib-shaped trophy from the awards on Monday, which now sits proudly on a shelf in their bookshop, and has been named Nancy.

The owners met on a bookshop training course

Since opening the bookshop, the pair launched their Literature and Music Festival last year to celebrate authors and musicians in the area.

"It's that balance of small authors with important voices and bringing celebrities to Birmingham because we haven't had many bookshops here for a long time," Claire Dawes said.

The co-owners thanked their assistant Abi Buller for volunteering in the shop before they could afford extra staff.

"We created a space where we love to spend our time and it turns out that other people love it here too," Ms Dawes said.