Always on
This project successfully funded on 2nd February 2026, you can still support them with a donation.
Waystone Books - Dunvegan's independent bookshop
Isle of Skye, Highland Council, United Kingdom
Aim
Help us bring Dunvegan's independent bookshop to life
We are a bookshop and we hope to soon be your favourite place. We specialise in modern fiction, independent publishers, local authors and beautiful things. We are queer, we are passionate, we are curious and we can never have enough friends. Waystone Books is a place for conversation, for connection, for coffee, for getting out of the cold. We host clubs and workshops and talks and community events. And of course we sell books. We love books and we love people who love books. We are your bookshop and we are open late.
Our Story
Waystone Books will be an independent bookshop, takeaway cafe, and events space, in Dunvegan on the Isle of Skye, and we need your help to bring this place to life.
We - Katy, Caroline, and Louis - all live in the Dunvegan area and know first hand what a brilliant community we have here. However, we also know how isolating it can be to live in a rural community, especially one where spaces where you can meet up with friends are few and far between, and often closed for months of the year. With a deep love for books, creativity, and connection shared between us, we decided to open a bookshop together.
Our mission is to reduce social isolation through the promotion of arts and literature. We believe in the power of a good book to broaden worldviews, form friendships, and entertain. We also plan to put on loads of events to bring people together - think bookclubs, cookbook club potlucks, children’s storytimes, creative writing and arts workshops, history talks and author readings and signings. We’ll be open year round - because when is better to curl up with a book than in the long, dark evenings of winter?
Where are we now?
Commercial space on Skye is limited, and commercial space for rent is practically non-existent. We’ve taken the leap to purchase our premises and are now the proud owners of the building which formerly housed Jann’s Cakes. We’re so excited to be located right in the heart of Dunvegan, and are looking forward to spilling over into the community hall across the road for bigger events.
We’ve been working hard for the past six months to come this far, and are still working away quietly getting all our plans in place for the big reno push. We hope to have our doors open early 2026, and can’t wait to have you along for a boogie and book chat at our launch party!
Your Support
We’re on a shoestring budget and are already in the thick of it, making the most of our friends’ skills and time, as well as plundering furnishings from our houses to make Waystone a brilliant, inviting space for locals and visitors alike.
Your support will go straight towards outfitting the physical shop space. Donations like yours will help us buy new equipment and materials such as our point of sale system, coffee machine, shelving, tables, benches and signage. This will enable us to make Waystone a cozy space to spend an evening, and we can’t wait to welcome you here soon.
In addition to physically outfitting the shop, funding will be directed towards our initial run of creative events - we've chatted with a handful of authors and craft experts already and are excited to have them come to the village to talk books and teach us their skills!
Any support you’re able to offer is hugely appreciated, and helps us achieve our goal of making Waystone Books a place of and for the community of Dunvegan, and of and for a broader community of those who love to read and create.
Rewards
You can simply donate to our project, however, we’ve had a great time thinking up some fun rewards to say thank you for your support of Waystone Books!
If you have any questions about Waystone, our Crowdfunder, or are able to offer time or skills in place of monetary donations, give us a shout on email at [email protected] or on our instagram @waystonebooks. To join our newsletter head to our website at waystonebooks.co.uk
Funding method
Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made