Warwick's only independent bookstore has marked its 10th anniversary.

Warwick Books, located on 24 Market Place, turned 10 years old at the end of April this year. 

To mark the milestone, owners Mog and Pauline hosted a quiet in-store celebration on Friday, 2 May, taking time to reflect on a decade of bookselling.

Mog said: "We didn't really do anything big and fancy, but we marked it. 

"We took some time to think about all the things that happened in retail over the last 10 years, which has been quite a lot of things packed in."  

To celebrate the anniversary, the Mayor of Warwick, Cllr Dave Skinner, presented Mog and Pauline with a certificate. 

On a post shared on Instagram, he wrote:  We are so lucky to have such a fabulous book shop right in the heart of town in the Market Square." 

Mog and Pauline took over the store from previous owners Keith and Frances, who established it in 2004. 

Describing the store's atmosphere, Mog expressed: "We see people a lot more than they see their family, we see people more than we see our family.

"With some of our regulars, we have daily or biweekly contact, so you get to know people really well.

"The store is also a public space; it's a space that people can access, so you get a real rainbow of people coming in.

"Yes, books are the link factor and most things revolve around the book, like talking about a certain book, but that conversation then rolls into something that happened in in real life, or coming in to order a book, but wanting to or needing to talk to somebody about something, or not knowing you needed to talk about something.

"So it's that side of the community, and trying to organise events with authors of local and national acclaim, that our readers can discover.

"If an author they love ends up in Warwick, in their town, they get to really enjoy that, which is also really magic."

Mog recalled the time her colleague's daughter shared a memorable encounter with one of her favourite authors, whom she met at the store.

Jacqueline Wilson, author of the famous Tracy Beaker book series, visited Warwick Books after participating in a school event organised by the store. 

Mog explained that her colleague's daughter, Skylar, who was about seven at the time, had come after school and waited for Jacqueline Wilson at Warwick Books.

"She had the intention of talking to her [Wilson] and spending time with her, but as soon as Jacqueline Wilson walked in, she was totally overcome with shyness and hid behind the till", expressed Mog.

Mog added: "Jacqueline Wilson crawled on her hands and knees behind the till to have a little one-way conversation with Skylar, who was just sitting there, going sort of just mute, unable to speak. 

"Wilson listened to her and just said some really lovely things.

"Little special moments like that are the things that mark out in the memories, those connections between reader and author aren't always what people say in front of lots of people."

Over the years, the store has seen several small changes, including some layout adaptations, paint colour and the opening up of internal space to enable pushchairs, aiming to welcome young families.

Mog noted some of these changes have broadened the customer demographic, with increasing visits from young families.

Warwick Books also has regular visits from a small group of teenagers, customers aged 20 to 30 and continued support from long-time customers, who have visited since the store's very opening.

Book groups remain a strong presence and are offered a 15 percent discount on book purchases for readers. 

Mog said: "We're there to encourage reading and literacy and creating communities that have got a space to share and discover new things."

Discussing some of the connections with the store's customers, Mog added: "The crazy thing in these 10 years, all the really little children who visited, have now finished their A Levels or are at university." 

Mog further explained that while some customers might not come into the shop every week, there is still a connection, even if they only visit several times a year. 

Recently, a customer who visited the store when she was young returned to share the news that she got married and said she would visit again soon to share photos of the wedding. 

"The thing we really try to develop is something more conversational, where people know that if they walk through that door, they've got people that are there that they can talk to", said Mog.

"If you want places you can walk into and that you enjoy being in, please do think to support them, because I think in the next few years, that's going to be really key. 

"If you still want them to be around, please think about supporting them, and I know it's an effort sometimes, but you know those efforts make a massive difference for those people."

To find out more about Warwick Books, including its upcoming events, visit its website here.