Beloved independent book shop in Stockport opens second store after less than two years

The owners of an independent bookshop in Romiley have opened their second store in Stockport in less than two years after big demand.

Co-owners Chris and Kelly Willocks first opened the Serenity Booksellers in Romiley Precinct in April 2023 and it has gone on to become a popular spot for book fans with its regular events, book clubs and author signings.

Since opening, they have hosted the likes of Manchester City star Alex Williams, Manchester Arena bombing survivor Martin Hibbert, and human rights lawyer Tawseef Khan as well as literary stars including Peter James and Kate Mosse.

Following the success of the original shop, Chris and Kelly decided to open a new store in Stockport’s town centre at the end of last year. Within just a short space of time, it has also proven to be successful with local residents.

Alongside a vast collection of books - including children’s, fiction and non-fiction - the shops also host creative writing and poetry groups, children’s story time sessions and also have their own monthly book club.

“The support we’ve received from our community in Romiley has been overwhelming,” Kelly said. “It has been wonderful to chat to so many people about books they love and introduce them to new favourite authors through conversations, book clubs and even exploring new reads through the events we’ve been lucky to put on.”

Speaking about their plans for the new store, Kelly and Chris said they were ‘excited’ to be part of Stockport and see it going from strength to strength. Just recently, the town centre welcomed a new interchange and town centre park. A £1bn programme from Stockport Council aims to boost the area even further with thousands of new homes, office spaces, and public realms, with a number of