Surveyed
Laura van Boven opened The Reading Room in the George Shopping Centre in February 2025 after rediscovering reading once she became a parent. The shop stocks new releases and classics alongside toys and gifts, and runs children's storytimes, book clubs and author visits rather than operating as a straightforward retail counter. Van Boven has described the aim as building a gathering point on Grantham's high street rather than just a place to buy books, at a time when the shopping centre has lost several long-standing tenants. The business is registered as The Reading Room Ltd, incorporated in September 2025. It was shortlisted for Independent Retailer of the Year at the Grantham Journal Business Awards in its first year of trading.