In 2018, supporters formed a human chain to help October Books relocate. Since then, the bookshop has remained an integral part of the Southampton community.
It’s now almost seven years since October Books in the English city of Southampton called upon the local community to help the team move premises. While that event made national news and was something of a heartwarming story, it did shine a light on a serious issue: the plight of independent bookstores in the UK.
So now, seven years on, it’s time to check in on October Books. How is the shop doing? And have things got better, or worse, for independent bookstores?
A Cultural Asset in Southampton
October Books began almost half a century ago, when the shop was founded in Bevois Valley, several miles north of central Southampton. After moving to a rented location at 243 Portswood Road in 2003, the store hit its stride. It has remained at Portswood Road ever since, though not at 243— in November 2018, the store famously moved down the road to number 189.
But from the beginning, October Books was a little different from other bookstores. Firstly, it wasn’t really owned by anybody. It was a cooperative collective, operated and owned by members of the community.
In 1981, Phillip Collins, Lionel Paris, Jill Radford, Ian Lamming, Veronica Love, Martin Lynch, and Annabel Hodgson signed the paperwork to register the business as a cooperative. Up until that point, it had been run as a volunteer organization. This radical, collective past is still very much part of October Books’ identity, and it’s the only store of its kind in Southampton.
Support from the Local Community
As a radical co-operative, October Books was no stranger to community support. However, in November 2018, they found themselves needing support more than ever. Unable to afford their 243 Portswood Road location, the store was forced to move. They bought an old bank building down the street, but with 2,000 books on the premises, moving from one location to another proved difficult.
The October Books team had an idea—the Human Chain. With the help of the community, they would pass each book down Portswood Road, one by one.
At first, only around 20 or 30 people turned up, and there were big gaps in the chain. But word soon spread, and eventually, all 2,000 books made the journey down Portswood Road to their new home.
In 2022, October Books sought help from the community in a different way. This time, they launched an investment scheme, raising money through a £175,000 share offer.
“We want this investment to improve our services we can offer to our community,” the team’s statement read, “and allow us to increase the number of projects and benefits we can provide to our community.”
October Books Today
Both initiatives turned out to be successful. In 2018, the shop was able to successfully move between buildings on Portswood Road, and the Human Chain kept its precious cargo safe and secure.
And in 2022, the shop raised the money it required and continued providing Southampton and beyond with the community service and support it needed.
Today, the bookstore is still going strong. Its shelves are packed with fascinating titles covering all genres, and the space itself is alive with events and community gatherings. In addition to running the bookstore, the team maintains a regular blog and newsletter, connecting people in the community and updating them on the latest changes.
There is also an affordable community space available for rent, and a full calendar of events for local residents to take part in. These events include many of those expected from bookshops—new title launches and Q&A sessions with authors.
But there are other events too, that reflect October’s committed community, such as a regular writer’s group, where local writers can share their work, receive feedback, and connect with like-minded people. Writing can be a lonely pastime, and events like this make such a difference for the creative soul.
Supporting October Books
In the age of digitisation, convenience, and big business, community-minded bookshops like October Books need our help. If you live in Southampton or if you find yourself in the city, you can offer support to October Books by visiting the store and buying some of their titles.
You can also attend their events. The Writers’ Group is currently held every last Thursday of the month at 7 pm, and there’s a vegan pop-up cafe every Monday between 11:45 am and 3:30 pm.
If you’re not in Southampton, you can order books, gift items, and other products online. This is the perfect way to give your support to a bookshop that has survived, and continues to survive, against all the odds.
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John Burns
John has been writing ever since he was small, and is delighted to be able to make his living as a writer now he’s not quite so small. Literature has always been a big part of John’s life, and he loves sharing this passion with readers from all over the world.
