Blood Stone Books: A horror bookshop for Newcastle

Aim

Newcastle deserves a horror bookshop! Help us open the first horror bookshop in the North.

About me and Blood Stone Books:

Hey, I'm Ciara. I have always dreamed of opening my own bookshop and in March 2025, I made the leap and set up the Blood Stone Books online shop. Market stalls followed shortly after and since then, I have been bringing horror books all around the North East! Now its time to put down roots and open a physical shop in Newcastle and you can help!

I have always been a book nerd and horror fan and I noticed a lack of spaces built for people like me. Horror books were hidden in basement levels, mixed in with sci-fi books, relegated to one sad little shelf or even barely included at all! Horror is such an expansive genre with so many sub-genres and so much to say as a whole that I felt it really deserved its own space to shine.

I have been attending markets, selling my horrors to you all for over a year now so I know this is something other people agree with too! Horror fans deserve a bookshop that puts their interests at the forefront all year round, not just at Halloween.

The idea:

A cosy Victorian, dark academia style bookshop as close as possible to the heart of Newcastle featuring a wide range of horror and thriller books, with special focus on local authors as well as LGBTQ+ and/or diverse authors. Horror is not just a white mans game, after all. Featuring a small coffee shop section selling hot drinks, comfortable seating and a cocktail hour, I hope Blood Stone Books can serve as somewhat of a third space where people can meet and chat surrounded by the genre they enjoy! I hope to host a range of events including author signings, horror themed talks (Like our Vampire talk we hosted at the Tyne Theatre in August) and our monthly book club, which has been going strong for over a year now. Books will be the majority of our stock however you might find a selection of bookish horror merch like bookmarks, totes, candles and mugs all sourced from small businesses across the UK, with special emphasises placed on sourcing from local business as much as possible.

Where we stand right now:

I have put an offer in on a premises and am waiting to hear back. I have a good feeling about it however if it falls through, I will continue looking for somewhere else.

What the fundraising will be used for:

The money raised from this Crowdfunder (and upcoming markets around the North East) will go toward the set up costs needed to open this shop, including:

• Securing a lease for a permanent physical shop, paying the deposit and the initial rent
• Renovating the shop
• Setting up a small Brew Bar with hot drinks and some select cocktail offerings in the evenings
• Buying furniture to house all the stock, create a cosy reading nook and plenty seating for drinks or community events. Got to get the vibe right!
• Initial Stock order. Ideally I want the shop bursting at the seams with horror however to start off with, lets just get the shelves filled!
• Any additional donations and funding above our goal, will mean we can offer more books and products, and host even more events!

This has been a dream of mine since I was young and I want to thank everyone who has made it a possibility. Its honestly crazy how much you all have supported me up to this point. Blood Stone Books is more than just a shop to me. Its a community of amazing people and I appreciate each and every one of you!

Check out Blood_Stone_Books on Instagram for regular updates and general spooky book content!

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 26th December 2026 at 5:26pm