A newly opened independent bookshop in Elephant and Castle will open late and serve beer to attract the area’s young professionals, writes Kieran Galpin…
The Book Elephant arrives at a time of plummeting sales in the British book market but co-owner Kasia Wrobel believes her business could be a plot twist.
Kasia, who runs a second bookshop in North London with her husband Tom, said: “It’s a different demographic [in South London] to the one we have up north, where there are more conservative, older people, whereas here there are young professionals.
“The community’s response has been incredible. People are blown away [that] there is something like this in the community.”
The new outlet is on Elephant Park, a swanky new housing complex attracting thousands of professionals to its 3,000 apartments.
The Book Elephant in Elephant and Castle
The Book Elephant plans to stay open as late as 9pm, sell alcoholic beverages, brew fresh coffee and host a book club.
Kasia hopes the shop’s unique place in the “book desert” of Elephant and Castle will help it succeed in a challenging market.
According to the British Retail Consortium, UK footfall in shops across the country was down 2.2% in 2024, compared to 2023.
Meryl Halls, Managing Director of The Booksellers Association, said: “The continued footfall decline on our high streets is a potential harbinger of harsher winds to come for British bookshops – who already face a myriad of challenges in 2025.”
‘BookTok’, a phenomenon where books are recommended by influencers on platforms such as TikTok, has driven young people to buy books, helping drive UK publishing industry revenues to £7.1bn in 2023.
A 2022 study by the Publishers Association found that almost two-thirds of 16 to 25 year olds say “BookTok” had helped them discover a passion for reading.
The interior of The Book Elephant in Elephant and Castle
Almost half said they had gone to a physical bookshop to buy a recommended book.
“People are going back to physical books instead of digital,” Kasia Wrobel said. “Holding a book is different than reading it on the screen.”
Several businesses have recently opened in Elephant Park. In December, a queer comedy club, a gym and a hairdresser opened, with a dessert parlour set to open soon, all within walking distance of The Book Elephant.
Kaisa Wrobel said she was excited by the prospect of being in a neighbourhood with lots of other businesses, and the Elephant Park lawn nearby for people to read on in the summer. “It is a nice place to just hang out,” she said.
The Book Elephant is found at 15b Sayer St, London SE17 1FY. It is currently open from 10am until 7pm.