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Griffin Books, on Windsor Road, is nominated as a County Finalist for Independent Bookshop of the Year in The British Book Awards 2026.
The business announced their nomination for this prestigious award on Wednesday, February 18, with a social media post that called this event a “delightful way to brighten up a grey Wednesday morning”.
Mel Griffin, the owner of Griffin Books, said: “We’re thrilled to be named as a Welsh finalist for the Independent Bookshop of the Year award, along with eight other wonderful Welsh bookshops!
“The recent report on the Cultural and Community Impact of Wales’s Bookshops commissioned by the UK Booksellers Association demonstrated the enormous creativity, innovation and commitment of independent bookshops, which are so much more than just retail spaces, so we’re very proud to be recognised in this way.”
In the largest cohort to date, 76 independent bookshops have been shortlisted from nine different regions and countries across the UK and Ireland.
Griffin Books, winners of the overall UK Independent Bookshop of the Year Award in 2023, are joined on this year’s shortlist by eight other bookshops from Wales: Book Space Cardiff (Cardiff), Books at the Dragon’s Garden (Llandovery), Chepstow Books & Gifts (Chepstow), Cover to Cover (Swansea), Llyfrau Ystwyth Books (Aberystwyth), The Berwyn Bookshop (Buckley), The Bookshop by the Sea (Aberystwyth) and The Bookshop Mold (Mold).
Griffin Books recently expanded to include a children’s and teen’s section (Image: Supplied)
Griffin Books are no strangers to success, as the business was named Bookshop of the Year at the Welsh Independent Retail Awards 2025, highlighting the incredible service and product range they offer their customers who travel to peruse their shelves from far and wide.
The Independent Bookshop of the Year Award celebrates the stores that stand at the hearts of their local communities and highlight the passion and knowledge they bring to their customers.
Griffin Books’ recent expansion to open a dedication Children’s and Teen section in store more than doubled the size of their shop on Penarth’s high street.
This, alongside their busy programme of author events, shows the dedication they have to get the wider community reading and interested in literature, nurturing the next generation of readers.
