Cotswold Book Room Turns 75: A Community Celebration with Hidden Treasures!

Gideon and Cathy York are celebrating a remarkable milestone as the stewards of the Cotswold Book Room, a beloved bookshop in Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucestershire. This year marks 75 years since the bookshop first opened its doors, and the couple is organizing a town-wide celebration to honor its long history. After purchasing the shop in February 2020, Gideon and Cathy began researching its past, discovering that the bookshop has moved locations several times but has always kept its original name. The name comes from its humble beginnings in a living room, which shows how much the shop has grown over the years.

To mark the anniversary, the couple is hosting a party and a national book token treasure hunt on November 1st. Book tokens worth between £2 and £75 will be hidden in various shops and businesses throughout the town, encouraging people to explore and support local traders. The building that houses the bookshop has a rich history, having been home to different businesses since 1927, including a photographic studio and a bike shop. The shop’s exterior is inviting, with open doors, books on display, flower stickers, and colorful bunting, making it a cheerful spot for visitors.

Inside, the Cotswold Book Room is designed to be welcoming and easy to navigate, with front-facing books and open spaces so customers don’t feel overwhelmed. Gideon and Cathy want the shop to be a safe space for everyone in the community, offering something for every reader. They feel grateful to have bought the shop from two sisters who wanted it to remain a bookshop, turning down other offers to ensure its legacy continued. The couple believes the bookshop belongs to the whole town, and they are simply its caretakers. Their hope is that the anniversary celebration will bring more people to the high street and help keep small businesses thriving, just as they have for decades.