bookhaus - Bristol's radical home

Bristol, Bristol City, United Kingdom

£14,711

Target: £45,000

We have raised 32% of our target 32%

419 supporters

50 days left



Aim: I have managed bookhaus since the beginning. The owners have decided to retire, and I am raising the funds to buy it and carry on our legacy

1750158115_bookhaus_outside-min.jpgWhat is bookhaus?

Bookhaus is a popular, award nominated independent bookshop in Wapping Wharf in the heart of Bristol. I have managed it since before we opened the doors in August 2021. The current owners, Kevin and Jayne Ramage and I knew each other from being involved in political activism together. At the beginning of 2021 they told me that they wanted to open a bookshop in Bristol, and they wanted me to run it. I didn't know that they owned bookshops, and they didn't know that I had years of experience in the book industry, but they thought I could be a great bookshop manager. I accepted, and we worked together to conceive and develop a bookshop that would reflect the radical, independent spirit of Bristol. I have utilized my combined years of experience in the book industry in places such as Books Etc, Borders and the Royal Academy of Arts, putting on events in pubs and breweries, and my experience in politics and activism to build bookhaus into what it is today, with the help of my team of staff who have all brought their own experience and knowledge to create a Bristol institution. 1750158266_darran_photo-min.jpg

What are we asking? 

The owners of bookhaus have decided it is time to retire. They would like to offer me the opportunity to buy the bookshop, so that I can continue the legacy that we have created together. I am determined to do this, but I lack the money to buy it. I am a working class, black man who grew up in a single parent household on a council estate, so I am not able to ask my family for money, and banks aren't keen to fund independent bookshops. This is why I am creating this crowdfunder, in the hope that our customers and fans will contribute towards keeping bookhaus as Bristol's Radical Home. 

We need to raise:-

  • £25,000 for the business itself
  • £43,000 for the stock

£68,000 altogether. I have entered into a partnership with Phil Wrigglesworth, a Senior Lecturer at UWE, Illustrator and founder of Left Cultures Magazine and we have £25,000 in place. I am aiming to raise the rest.

The bookshop is a sustainable business and has been growing organically. By supporting our crowdfunder you will be part of ensuring that bookhaus continues to develop as Bristol's home of radical literature. 

What have we accomplished?

We opened with a launch party at which David Olusoga cut the ribbon and met the Colston Four. Since then we have established bookhaus as a thriving, successful bookshop that has put itself on the map. We offer a unique, well curated range of books across a range of of subjects and genres. We have hosted hundreds of book events, that have been attended by thousands of people, with writers such as Jeremy Deller, Ottessa Moshfegh, Édouard Louis , Marlon James, Torrey Peters, Jeremy Corbyn, Andreas Malm, Shon Faye and Eliza Clark. We have hosted the book launches of several local authors, including Moses McKenzie, Michael Malay, Nikesh Shukla, Samantha Walton, Travis Alabanza, Ralph Webb and Robin Tetlow. We host four reading groups in store; Weird Fiction, Feminist Texts, Indie Presses, and Revolutionary Texts. We have worked in partnership with local organisations like The University of Bristol and UWE, the Bristol Cable and Bristol 247, Art in Motion, Rising Arts, the Black South West Network, the South West TUC, Bristol Energy Network, ACORN, The Old Vic and others.

We have created a welcoming, accessible space that fosters and promotes literature, art and culture. We are officially recognised as Living Wage Employers. We are members of the Alliance of Radical Booksellers. We have worked on projects with Bristol Black History Month, Disability Pride Month and Bristol Pride. We collect books for the Children's Book Project, and we have donated books to a women's refuge charity, Bristol Prison, local nursery schools and Bristol Student Union. We are absolutely rooted in the community here.  

My goal was to build bookhaus into a bookshop that would be a vital cultural institution that would have an impact wide and far, and take a place alongside other legendary book stores across the world, such as Shakespeare and Company in Paris, or City Lights in San Francisco. I believe we are on track to fulfil this ambition.

Crowdfunder merch designs!

I are very lucky to have a talented artist like Phil on board as a partner in this venture! He has created the below designs, inspired by Bauhaus theatre designs, which we will be making into t-shirts and riso prints. Just let us know which design you would like, 1 - 5, and what your size is for the t-shirt. 

1750848008_crowdfunder_slide_small2.jpg


Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 31st August 2025 at 12:00pm


Show your support

Payment and personal details are protected