Top North Yorkshire author to open independent bookshop in her home town
Christina Gabbitas winning a Youth Education Award in 2025 (Image: Pic supplied)
A well-known North Yorkshire children’s author and anti-crime campaigner is to open a bookstore to raise the profile of independent publishers.
Christina Gabbitas, who lives in Harrogate, is to open the Real Indie Bookshop in Parliament Street in the town centre in October, where Prey Four used to be.
Christina, who previously lived in Selby, has been in publishing for 15 years and runs a national book award, also winning many awards and accolades herself.
She told the Press: “I see the quality of the work that comes through from these small independent publishers. I want to shine a spotlight on them. They do not get the attention they deserve. But all the popular titles will be there as well.”
Christina with part of her poem on a bench
(Image: Pic supplied)
“I’m a lover of non-fiction and crime fiction. I will have tables in there where people can have their coffees and read. I will be open at 8am for those on their way to work.”
“We will have talks, events. I will have newspapers in there. I love the smell of paper and picking up a paper. I like to pick up a book. I do not like reading from a kindle. We do so much online. I get screened out.”
Christina with author Hafizza Issa, who she commissioned at one of her festivals.
(Image: Pic supplied)
Christina continued: “I’m not having an online bookstore because no-one can compete with Amazon. I want people to come into town. We need people to mix. People spend too much time on screens. We need people talking more.”
“I wanted to open a bookshop to share the creativity. Bookshops are nice places to be.”
Christina says there will be a section on musical artists and there will be quotes of lyrics and sons on the walls for people to guess which song they come from.
Christina in Lancashire as Patron of Libraries
(Image: Pic supplied)
She continued: “It’s will be like coming into a world of words and sharing that. I will have comics as well. Children and young people like comics and graphic novels. The most popular books for them are graphic novels. I see this first hand what they like through my work.”
Christina added: “I just want to do something positive, to bring people together. I live in Harrogate and there’s room for another bookshop. I am doing something slightly different. I want to work with and be friendly with other bookshop people. We are friendly in the trade. It’s about people coming together.”