Amanda Truman told the YEP she had always "dreamed" of opening a bookshop throughout her life. She lived in Leeds during the 1990s before moving to London to pursue her career in the travel industry - but vowed she would return. So when the opportunity arose to return to the city after the "travel industry imploded" during lockdown, Amanda believed it to be "an opportunity to be brave, try something new and follow a dream". Amanda upped sticks from London, selling her home and travelling back to Leeds before Christmas. She signed the lease on the former popular Bonds store on the town street in May. She said she knew it would "make a great book shop" as soon as she saw it. The doors to the shop were opened on Saturday to great success - with Amanda already earning rave reviews in the tight-knit community. Speaking to the YEP, Amanda said: "We were full all day and had people queueing outside at one point." The shop is set to open from Tuesday to Saturday 9am until 5.30pm. Amanda says she will stock a carefully curated range of new adult and child books, "with a focus on a diversity of voices and on supporting independent publishers". She added: "We also have a small café space serving coffee and cakes. "We sell and accept national book tokens and can order pretty much any book in print. "We also carry a selection of cards, wrapping paper and stationery. "We have big plans for instore events, author visits, book signings, book clubs and more and will also be launching our website in the next couple of weeks offering a UK wide delivery service." Amanda said other ideas for the future include a loyalty programme and book subscription scheme. She added: "I think lockdown really provided the space to have a look at your life and think about how you want it to look. "The feedback we got about the shop and the range of books was really positive, and the welcome and support from the local community has been really moving."
