An independent book shop is set to reopen in a new location in Stoke-on-Trent this month.

Drop City Books will officially open on Piccadilly, Hanley, on Saturday 28 February.

Ruth, owner of Drop City Books, said: "We're incredibly excited to reopen our doors on the 28 February. We'll be open from 9am to 5pm that day and customers can expect a day long party atmosphere and probably some free drinks.

"We'll be selling the kind of eclectic unusual books we're known for, as well as a range of very special cards and gifts and stationary.

"We've expanded our free kid's reading den and crat area into something very exciting.

"I'm confident we've got the book for everyone, but if you still can't find what you're after we also offer next day collection of almost any book that's in print." 

Drop City Books, which first opened in October 2023, was forced to close in November 2024 after the original shop, located on the corner of Broad Street and Marsh Street South in Hanley, was flooded.

There had been several previous floods on the site, including one which had already caused the shop to close for three week.

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The final flood destroyed all of her stock and forced Ruth to permanently close the shop at that location.

Ruth recalled: "I got a phone call at three in the morning from one of the tenants upstairs to say there was water pouring out of the doors and the windows. 

"We went straight there and found it absolutely destroyed. 

"Everything was gone."

Despite this huge setback, the independent business was determined to reestablish itself on Piccadilly.

Ruth wanted to create a bookshop that is 'bright and colourful and welcoming' (image via Drop City Books)

Drop City carried out a series of pop-up events across the region before moving into the new location in November 2025 "almost a year to the day" of the original shop closing.

Ruth and her family then commenced the long process of transforming the empty unit into a bright and vibrant bookshop.

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Alongside her father and her partner, Ruth sometimes spent up to 12 hours a day working on the renovations, but stressed that she "loved every second of it".

She said: "I think people will feel the amount of fun we've had doing this when they come in."

For Ruth, who had wanted to own her own bookshop since she was a child, it was important that Drop City Books remained a welcoming and "loud" place.

She explained: "'I have always felt really uncomfortable in bookshops, even though I'm somebody who loves reading and loves books.

"I find a lot of bookshops to be really intimidating and quiet places. I feel like I'm going to knock something over or I'm just going to be too loud or too 'stokie' or too myself.

"What I wanted was to create was something where the experience of being in a bookshop could be bright and colourful and welcoming. Not intimidating, not quiet."

Alongside selling books, Drop City regularly hosts events and the new larger venue means that they can be opened up to a bigger audience.

Ruth added: "The new event space means we can put Stoke on the map when world class authors are touring their books.

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"We already have an eclectic programme of events planned to take us into summer. Our events are for everyone, readers and non readers, if you enjoy hearing interesting, thought provoking conversations, you'll have a good night." 

There are two events already organised for the new shop: Tobi Coventry, Horror author, on 31 March and Michael Pederson, Edinburgh Poet Laureate, on 3 April.

Drop City Books will officially open on Saturday 28 February at 74-78 Piccadilly, Hanley.

For more information about Drop City Books, visit the Instagram page here or the website here.

To book tickets for the upcoming events, visit the Eventbrite page here.