Bookshop Stories Episode 1 | The fourteen-year dream: Emily Partridge and Black Cat Books (Launceston, Cornwall)

For fourteen years, Emily Partridge dreamed of opening a bookshop.While working in education, she imagined creating a place where people could browse, discover new authors, sit with a cup of tea and lose themselves among the shelves. Like so many long-held ambitions, though, it was always something for “one day” – until redundancy forced a decision that would change her life.In this, the very first episode of Bookshop Stories, we’re with Black Cat Books in Launceston, Cornwall, to hear how Emily turned a fourteen-year dream into reality and what she’s learned during the first eighteen months of running an independent bookshop.Our conversation explores the realities of modern bookselling, from six-day working weeks, social media and stocking decisions to the economics of running a small business on Britain’s high street. Along the way, Emily shares the story of a century-old prayer book that perfectly captures why she loves second-hand books, explains why her coffee machine is called Raymond, introduces us to Spook – the black cat who has become something of a local celebrity – and reflects on how Black Cat Books has grown into far more than somewhere to buy a novel.This is a conversation about books, certainly, but it's also about community, purpose, independent businesses, and what happens when you finally decide to stop talking about a dream and start living it.Books, authors and recommendations from this episode:Gorse and Ragwort by Sam K. HortonFolk horror writers, David Barnett and Jodie MatthewsWuthering Heights by Emily BrontëJane Austen, Charles Dickens and Maggie O'FarrellThe Wicker Man (as an introduction to folk horror)Follow Bookshop Stories for new conversations with independent booksellers from across the UK and beyond.