Truman Books Farsley: 'I left the London rush behind to open an indie bookshop in a vibrant Leeds suburb'
Before opening her own bookshop in Leeds, Amanda Truman had a thriving career in London, where she travelled extensively around the world.
As the COO of a travel company, Amanda helped establish offices in Singapore and other locations, embracing the fast-paced lifestyle of the capital. However, when the pandemic brought global travel to a halt, her career took an unexpected turn.
"I was kind of bopping around different different cities in Asia, bouncing between there and home in London,” she told the Yorkshire Evening Post. “And then the pandemic came, and suddenly travel stopped being a thing that people could do - so I was made redundant,"
After searching for a new role in the travel industry, Amanda decided to pursue a long-held dream.
She said: "I thought about what would excite me, and this little idea of a bookshop kept popping into my brain that I guess had been there for years. 2020 just seemed like the year to take some risks and be a bit bold.
"So I looked into it and did a load of research visited a bunch of bookshops and chatted to a bunch of bookshop owners, and decided to take the plunge."
Initially, she searched for a location in London, but a friend from Amanda’s days at The University of Leeds encouraged her to check out Farsley. After some online research, Amanda packed up her life in London and relocated to the Leeds suburb. In June 2021, Truman Books opened on Town Street.
Today, the store offers a carefully curated selection of over 4,000 books, chosen by Amanda and her team of four booksellers. Truman Books hosts regular events, including story time sessions and author visits, and collaborates with The Old Woollen for the annual Farsley Literature Festival each October.
Amanda said: "I think one of the brilliant things about this shop is the team of booksellers that work here. They're just all gorgeous people, really friendly, really welcoming.
"We'll happily chat with you about books, but also about the price of eggs or the weather or anything else that you want to chat about.”
Amanda and her team are dedicated to stocking the latest bestsellers alongside books from marginalised voices, women, and authors representing Black experiences.
"I think stories are for everybody," she said.
Farsley has become a hub for creatives and independent businesses and was recently named one of the UK's "hottest postcodes" by The Sunday Times. On its high street and at Sunnybank Mills, Truman Books sits alongside record stores, breweries, and event venues - all thriving without corporate influence.
According to Amanda, this independent spirit sets her shop apart.
"Every single book that's on the shelf I've chosen myself," she said. "We've not got someone in London telling us what we should and shouldn't be selling.
"We sell the books that we love, and it's much more of a personal, personal experience here."
Truman Books made a splash when it first opened.
"When we opened, we had queues down the street,” Amanda recalled. “It was kind of crazy.”
"Everyone was from the local area and most people, anyway, were just delighted to have a bookshop here, and they're kind of proud that Farsley is the kind of place where a [independent] bookshop can thrive.
"There's so much going on in this area, and so many cool places to be. So I like to think that we're bringing new people to Farsley as well."
Behind the scenes, running a bookshop is no small task. Amanda and her team spend hours reading advance copies and new releases to ensure they stock the best selection.
"One of the things that surprised me when opening a bookshop is that books do have a shelf life," she said. "Some books will sell and sell and sell. One of our best sellers was published three years ago, and it's still on our best sellers list every month.
"And then sometimes you get the new big thing that's been talked about everywhere, and it'll come in, and it'll sell well for a month or two, and then it will just fall off the cliff."
Currently, their bestselling book is The List of Suspicious Things by Jennie Godfrey, a novel set in a small Yorkshire town during the 1970s, against the backdrop of the Yorkshire Ripper case.
Amanda said: "[Jennie Godfrey] came to the shop before the book was published and brought us some advanced copies, and talked to us.
"We all read the book in the shop, and we all loved it. And that's quite unusual for us all to like the same books because we've got quite different tastes."
Looking ahead, Truman Books is set to expand its events program, with visits from authors like AA Dhand and Reverend Richard Coles already lined up.
Amanda said: "We've built our reputation with the publishers over the past four years, showing them that we can get audiences out for book events and showing them that we can put on great events and give the author a great experience.
"I think there's a lot more opportunity for us to grow that side of the business and to bring more brilliant authors to quickly make the Literature Festival bigger and better than ever."