Our guest today is Tom Rowley, owner of Backstory, London’s newest independent bookstore situated in the heart of Balham.

 As a  journalist-turned-bookseller, his journey has led to him writing for some of the most recognizable names in the press like The Economist, The Washington Post, and The Daily Telegraph.

He originally started Backstory as a market stall and after the pandemic decided to take the plunge and make it a real shop, his fulltime job and fulfill his lifelong dream: recommending books to people from all walks of life.

We ask him about the future of the high street, why people from Estonia flock to his website to buy books and how he managed to crowdfund over £25k to make his dream come true! 

And of course, make sure you listen to the end to hear which book a man with access to over 3500 books recommends!

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Once again thank you to our series partner Octopus Group, a collection of 8 entrepreneurially minded businesses that look to back the people, ideas, and industries that will change the world.

• Why he quit his dream job at the economist


• Where did the name Backstory come from


• The moment he announced he was creating London’s newest bookshop


• How his newsletter powered his journey


• The business model of the Bookshop- and the dreaded A-word


• Creating a bar and bookshop in one


• Building a community hub with the space


• Tom’s vision about the future of highstreet- and why they’re shipping books even to Estonia


• His plans for the future


• How he crowdfunded £25,000 to set up the shop


• What he looks for in people to work in the bookshop


• His lowest moments in his journey


• What he would differently if he was starting again?


• How he chooses what books makes it in store


• The most interesting person he interviewed at the Economist.


• A very dangerous question… What’s his favourite book?

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