Leicester finally has an independent bookshop, and it’s well worth a visit
by Anna Thomas
Recently I had the chance to chat with Ieuan Cox, the proud owner of Leceister’s newly-opened ‘Fox Books’, an independent bookstore in the heart of the city centre. We talked about the excitement of starting a business in a town with an expanding vibrant independent scene, and also, about how the pandemic has helped us to rediscover our love of reading.
Since Covid, many of us have been trying especially hard to support our local independent businesses and this time last year, Ieuan was no exception. Very much in the spirit of Bimble of course. Having come back home to Leicester after attending uni in London, he found it frustrating that the nearest independent bookshop was in a tiny village 10 miles outside of town. This was the inspiration behind Fox Books: the first independent bookstore to open in the middle of Leicester for as long as I can remember.
In early 2020 Ieuan found a small unit in St Martin’s Square — a charming little shopping district near the cathedral, which already hosts many of the city’s newest independent businesses including cafés, bars, a fairtrade shop and a zero waste shop (all in Ieuan’s Bimble). Before Fox Books arrived, the unit had been empty for around 8 years. Fast forward 12 months and the success of Fox Books has meant Ieuan has started running the bookshop full time.
The opening of Fox books coincides with an independent scene that has been exploding in the city over the past few years. Both Ieuan and I grew up in Leicester, and it’s been incredible to see the city evolve from a relatively unknown place in the midlands to a thriving university city with a colourful community of independent businesses. St Martin’s Square itself is just a taste of the growing appetite for independents in this city and the real feel of diversity and excitement here.
“Leicester has been an under-appreciated city for a while”, Ieuan says — “I remember it used to feel very different going out in Nottingham, and certainly going to London or Birmingham. But now, Leicester does seem to have all the things that you’d want…” Neither of us can figure out exactly why it feels like this — it might have something to do with the discovery of King Richard III under a car park in the city centre in 2012, or Leicester City’s historic premier league triumph in 2016. What we’re both certain about, though, is that there’s a new energy in our home city and it’s totally transformed the general atmosphere.
I also asked Ieuan why he thinks people are interested in buying books from independent retailers more than ever these days. The short answer is that there’s just something about the tangibility and solidity of print books — as opposed to online platforms and e-readers — that people just can’t get enough of.
“It’s about being able to physically browse and touch the books. I feel like after the pandemic — a year of staring at a screen — a lot of people are enjoying the fact that they can get out and actually browse a bookshop. Lots of people have even been asking me if they’re allowed to touch the books and I’m like yes, that’s the whole point!”
Ieuan’s experience is testament to the enduring power of the bookshop, despite the monopoly that corporates like Amazon and eBay are thought to have over the market for print books. Starting here, Ieuan’s future plan for Fox Books is to establish the shop’s reputation as not only a place to buy books but also a space for the community, by hosting events which forge connections across many of the city’s other small businesses. Something is happening in Leicester, and Fox Books is definitely a part of it.
You can find out more about some of Leicester’s great independent businesses in Ieuan’s Bimble as well as in mine. I’ve also created a Bimble collecting my favourite murals — Leicester has a vibrant street art scene!.
