Whitley Bay independent bookstore awarded for carbon reduction efforts encourages others to follow for a cleaner future

The owners of the North East’s leading independent bookshop for rare and second-hand books are hoping their Action on Climate Change Award win will provide a model for other bookshops to follow.

Keel Row Books in Whitley Bay was presented with the accolade last week in a ceremony hosted by the North Tyneside Business Forum at the North Tyneside Business awards on November 14. Celebrating the contribution local businesses make to the local economy, the award recognises the carbon reduction efforts carried out over the last decade by Keel Row Books to minimise the business carbon footprint.

Owned by Anthony Smithson and his wife and business partner Alice Laverty since 2006 - Keel Row Books, a 'Tyneside institution' - relocated to a low carbon premise on Park View, Whitley Bay in 2023 after the business spent 42 years on Preston Road in North Shields. As a bookshop that trades almost exclusively in second-hand goods and provides an outlet for first editions, rare books and collectables - the business model is inherently low carbon. Virtually all stock is bought directly from the local public, often in bulk and provides an important 'reuse' channel for books in North Tyneside.

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During the renovation of the Whitley Bay premise, the also invested in carbon saving features to reduce their carbon footprint, including insulation, sourcing reused and salvaged fixtures and furniture, retaining original features, fitting an air source heat pump and new installing double glazed windows and shop front. Several 'green thinking' measures have been implemented such as cutting back on online sales of cheaper books to reduce shipping footprint by 80%, meaning general second-hand book sales are now exclusive to local customers who visit the shop instead.

Speaking on the achievement, Alice Laverty said: "It was wonderful to win the North Tyneside Business Forum's Action on Climate Change Award. We are one of many Tyneside businesses making a difference in their local community and beyond... it's not all about the bottom line

"Reducing our business carbon footprint has been a positive journey and well received by our customers. We encourage others to do the same for a cleaner, better future."

Alice added: "A regional award recognising our efforts would be a talking point and a platform to encourage other dealers in our trade associations to consider similar measures. We encourage our staff and customers to have the same enthusiasm for reusing and reselling books, and identifying and preserving items of cultural and historical significance."