Clare bookshop Harris & Harris Books set to re-open at new premises to achieve owner’s expansion dream

A dream expansion years in the making has finally come to fruition for an independent bookshop owner, who says she cannot wait to welcome customers to her new location.

Harris & Harris Books will relaunch at its new premises on Clare High Street on Saturday – coinciding with National Bookshop Day – just a few doors up from its home of the last 12 years.

The move to the former site of Hudgies Hardware culminates two years of work to acquire and restore the listed building.

For owner Kate Harris, it also achieves a decade-long ambition to expand her offering, which became a reality after maintaining a strong following despite the Covid-19 pandemic.

“I can’t wait to open the doors and show all our customers what we’ve done and thank them for their support,” she told the Free Press.

“I’ve been waiting to have a larger bookshop for about 10 years, so I’m beyond excited. It’s a beautiful space.

“We’re expanding in difficult times, but it’s the right move. We wanted more security for the future.

“It will make a huge difference. It’s a much nicer browsing environment and there’s so much more space for audience events.”

Kate first opened a bookshop in Clare back in 2011 and, despite outgrowing the previous site, she was keen to remain in the town, so she continued to trade at her small store, while looking out for a larger setting.

When the Covid lockdown hit in 2020, there were worries over whether high street bookshops could survive – yet Harris & Harris Books saw its demand rise, via postal deliveries and an increased social media presence.

This growth led to the decision, once lockdown lifted, to buy a larger store, which became available once Hudgies Hardware shut its doors.

“It’s thanks to all my readers and the people who love and support us that has kept us going,” Kate added. “It also meant the old shop was definitely too small.

“We’ve been working on moving into the new shop for about two years. It has been a hardware store since the 1830s and there’s a lot of history in the building.

“However, the building needed an awful lot of work. It really needed some TLC – every single inch had to be restored.

“It’s also hugely important for the town, because it means the building will be preserved for another 200 years.

“It’s taken a lot of resources and a lot of help from friends and locals. I’ve been moving up and down the high street, carrying boxes of hundreds of books to our bigger, better, brighter, splendid new bookshop.

“I’m giddy with excitement, but also a bit nervous, because I really hope people will like what we’ve done with the space.”

Following this weekend’s opening, the new Harris & Harris Books has also lined up a series of sit-down audience events with various writers.

The first of these events will be a question-and-answer session with Sean O’Connor, the author of The Haunting of Borley Rectory.

To contact the shop, telephone 01787 277267 or go online to harrisharris.co.uk.