‘We’re book nerds’: the female friends opening bookshops together

theguardian.com:

A few years ago, Amber Harrison and Karen Brazier were both experiencing burnout in their respective careers. The neighbours turned friends worked long hours that often took them away from their beloved home town of Shaftesbury, Dorset.

They recognised in each other a sense of frustration that chasing career progression had not led to personal fulfilment. “Over a drink in the pub one evening, we started to sketch out what our ideal lifestyle might look like,” they said. “We knew we wanted to own a business in Shaftesbury that would allow us simple pleasures such as walking to work and feeling properly rooted in our town.”

Inspired by an old photograph at the pub, they decided to set up an independent bookshop together. Today, they are part of a growing number of female friendship duos who have similarly decided to follow their dreams of running bookshops that cater to local communities, women and under-represented minorities.

Folde, Harrison and Brazier’s nature-themed shop, sits on top of Gold Hill – featured in a popular 1970s TV advert for Hovis bread.

“The pandemic gave us the push we needed to take the leap of faith, providing definitive proof that life is anything but predictable,” they recalled. “Large booksellers have a great range, but for us the value is in introducing people to new titles along with our key themes of land, sea and self.”

The business has been a hit, with many following the pair’s journey on Instagram. “Visitors seem to delight in discovering us as they head down the cobbles to photograph the iconic view. We were thrilled when Stephen Moss described us as ‘maybe the world’s best bookshop’.”

Two other friends, Rosie May and Sarah Scales, also decided to open Juno Books, an intersectional feminist and