WORD Power Books, the well-known radical bookshop, is preparing to welcome a new owner.
Elaine Henry set up what became an Edinburgh institution in 1994, when it was officially opened by Booker Prize-winning author James Kelman.
Since then it has become a favourite for publications offering alternative views on gender, the environment and current affairs. Author Alan Bisset has described it as a “a hub for independent thought itself”.
Negotiations are still under way with the prospective new owners, but Henry told The National it was time to move on.
“It’ll be the end of an era for me,” she said, “but not for Word Power. It’s 22 and a quarter years – like Adrian Mole for adults. I don’t mean that to sound like I’ve been counting every day, but I feel I’ve put in a long good stint providing an independent and radical bookshop for Edinburgh and Scotland.
"A lot has happened in that time and I’m feeling the need to move on to pastures new and pass the shop on to someone else to take on the mantle.”
She has been inundated with messages from customers and authors, many of whom will be at her farewell drinks event this weekend.
“We’ve had great support from a huge array of writers – too many to single out – but also from customers who’ve stayed loyal and who’ve seen the need for an independent bookshop and haven’t resorted to clicking online with big corporations.
"There’s been great awareness of what Amazon is doing, with its non-payment of taxes … and obviously since the build-up to the independence referendum there was a massive increase in people coming to the shop.”
The 54-year-old is going on to pastures new – literally.
“I’m moving to France," she said. "I’m going to enjoy being out in the fresh air a lot more, in the sunshine, growing vegetables and reconnecting with the earth and not spending all my days inside in front of a computer.
“I won’t sit with my feet up all the time – there will be new challenges in that neck of the woods too, I think.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here