A Yorkshire woman made a snap decision to change career paths after spotting an empty store in her home town.
Keira Andrews, 27, opened book store Reading Roots in Wetherby within weeks of noticing the shop space was to let.
She pivoted from a career in teaching to open the independent shop, which also pays tribute to her granddad.
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Keira, from Upper Dunsforth not far from Wetherby, told LeedsLive: "My granddad passed away just before I opened the bookshop.
"He was a soldier in World War Two. He believed reading was very important for bettering yourself, and after he got back he decided to spend all his soldier pay on a big set of encyclopaedias.
"He contracted Covid just four weeks before I opened the shop and sadly died just two weeks before it opened.
"But his full set of encyclopaedias and his books are upstairs at the shop - it feels like his love of reading has really come full circle."
Keira had just finished her teacher training in the South West towards the end of 2020, but was finding it difficult to get a job in teaching during the pandemic.
She was back in Wetherby to visit family and walking around the high street when she spotted an empty unit offered up to let.
She knew instantly what she wanted to do - and with several calls and a lot of hard work, Keira opened Reading Roots book store just eight weeks after seeing the empty shop.
"It was a really quick decision," said Keira, who had worked in publishing before deciding to train as an English teacher.
"I had worked in book shops before - in Waterstones, in Blackwells, in independent ones abroad.
"So I knew how to work in one, but opening and running them was a whole other story. I had to learn a lot very quickly.
There was lots to learn, and the whole family came on board to help build shelves and more in time for the book store to open on December 4, 2020.
Unfortunately, just three weeks later the entire country was plunged into a winter lockdown that ended up lasting for three months.
Reading Roots ran a click and collect book service during this time, but due to it being so new, it was slow going at first.
"No one really knew we were here when it first started," Keira remembered.
"It felt a bit miserable waiting for one person a day to come in and collect a book, but the grants for businesses helped and it gave me time to get everything sorted out properly."
Thankfully, as soon as lockdown was over in winter of last year, Keira was able to launch properly and hire two members of staff to really get the shop going.
Less than a year later, its flourishing on Wetherby's high street, and Keira is even completing a Masters degree in history part time.
The small, colourful bookshop sits in one of Wetherby's stone buildings, and is full of new and classic novels for adults and children.
Keira's granddad's encyclopaedias fill multiple shelves upstairs, which is used for the store's monthly book club.
Keira said: "I have been absolutely loving it since we opened. I went from publishing, left that to teach, then left that to open Reading Roots - and I love it.
"It's really important to me to be a part of improving children's literacy and offer a place for the community.
"Yorkshire is home and I really believe that bookshops are the centre of communities - we've really become a centre point for people her in Wetherby.
"We have lots of families and kids who come, as well as older people, sometimes people with dementia, and I really want this to be a safe place for them.
"I'm a big believer in removing barriers to reading, and it makes so much difference to their confidence to get them excited about books early."
Reading Roots is keen to get involved with the local community, and organised a book trail around Wetherby last World Book Day. Children who completed it could get a free book as a prize.
Keira spends her free time researching conditions like Dyslexia to think of new ways Reading Roots can engage a wider range of children.
She's also hoping to launch a Wetherby Literary Festival in 2023, as Leeds celebrates its year of culture.
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The monthly book club already engages with authors - who give half an hour of their time to chat to participants at the end of meetings. So far, the club has heard from authors such as Elodie Harper, Hazel Prior and Matson Taylor.
"Opening the book shop has helped me help people on the ground in my local community and form real connections.
"It was a challenge and it will continue to be - but I've just loved it. Being here, opening the shop, learning what Wetherby likes to read.
"No, we can't compete with the sales of somewhere huge like Amazon, but I think we offer much more to people who come visit us."
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