About us
Backstory opened in 2022 as an independent bookshop and bar on Balham High Road. Today it's a community hub for South London readers, hosting author events, championing underrated literature, and offering over 500,000 books to readers around the world.
Hi, I'm Tom, Backstory's founder.
I never planned to be a bookseller. I was one of those annoying kids who always knew what I wanted to be when I grew up. From the age of eight, I would pester my parents and any visitors to our house to read my 'newspaper'.
After a bit more growing up, I landed a job on a slightly more legitimate newspaper. In just over a decade as a journalist, I was on the reporting staff of The Daily Telegraph, The Washington Post and The Economist. I was incredibly lucky to report from more than 30 countries on everything from refugee crises and terrorist attacks to seagulls stealing people's ice creams. My most arduous assignment was covering Barack Obama's holiday.
The job was amazing, until it wasn't. Feeling burned out after 11 years of daily deadlines, I wondered what on earth else I was qualified for. And then it struck me: bookshops were my favourite places to hang out - on every reporting trip, on every holiday, I'd always seek out the closest - and there should be more of them. I'd always been a voracious reader and my journalism experience had trained me to spot a good story quickly and pick the best way to share it so that others want to read it. That's what booksellers do, too.
With little more than that hunch, I made the mad decision to quit my job and open my own independent bookshop, Backstory.
And somehow it worked!
We're now a team of five full-timers, offering next-day delivery throughout the UK on 500,000 books and giving regulars and newcomers alike a warm welcome at our bookshop and bar in Balham, south London.
I write a newsletter about this mad adventure every week. Sign up here to get this, occasional offers and to hear about our in-store and online events.
About the Store
Our Events
Authors come to the shop to talk about their books a couple times a week. We've been lucky enough to hear from amazing writers such as Lyse Doucet, David Nicholls, Marina Hyde, Lea Ypi, Nicola Sturgeon and Patrick Radden Keefe.
Events start at 7:30pm. Feel free to come along any time from 7 to pick out your seats, grab a drink at our bar, and have a chat. Events run until 8:30pm, including time for audience questions at the end.
Tickets cost £15. We also offer tickets that include the book at a discounted price.
The bar
Our bar is at the heart of our bookshop. We serve barista coffee, a range of wines, and locally brewed beer, as well as great non-alcoholic options and delicious snacks. Join us for coffee every morning from 10am (9am on Saturdays), and enjoy a bottle of wine with friends until 9pm on Thursdays and Fridays. Come and perch, have a drink, and chat with our booksellers or meet new friends from the area!
