‘We’re book nerds’: the female friends opening bookshops together | Books | The Guardian

They recognised in each other a sense of frustration that chasing career progression had not led to personal fulfilment. "Over a drink in the pub one evening, we started to sketch out what our ideal lifestyle might look like," they said. "We knew we wanted to own a business in Shaftesbury that would allow us simple pleasures such as walking to work and feeling properly rooted in our town."
Carole-Anne Warburton at her shop, The Book Rest, in Ilminster, Somerset.

Inspired by an old photograph at the pub, they decided to set up an independent bookshop together. Today, they are part of a growing number of female friendship duos who have similarly decided to follow their dreams of running bookshops that cater to local communities, women and under-represented minorities.