Aberystwyth businesswoman Freya Blyth is celebrating two award wins.
Bookshop by the Sea has been named Independent Bookshop of the Year in the 2024 TikTok Book Awards for UK and Ireland and she has won the The Bookseller’s Rising Star Award. The first award was won through community votes, celebrating.
Accepting the award, Freya said: “Bookshops are a way of keeping our communities alive, helping people to find each other and find book friends.
“Thank you to everyone on TikTok who's voted."
In a video to ‘Cambrian News’ readers, Freya said winning the award was an honour, adding that “it is wonderful to be recognised for the hard work” they do in the community.
Bookshop by the Sea started life as a pop-up in response to the pandemic, running art workshops, live music and children’s story times before the shop started in 2021.
Freya hosts community events, author talks, high teas, interviews, knitting and cross-stitch workshops, a book club and wine evenings.
In 2022 the shop won a UK sustainability award for its investment in local, organic and fair trade products, with half of the books on offer second-hand.