Griffin Books

Griffin Books sits in a Victorian arcade on Penarth's Windsor Road, just south of Cardiff, and is one of the best independent bookshops in Wales — Mel Griffin bought it from its retiring owners in 2014 and, in 2023, took the UK Independent Bookshop of the Year title at the British Book Awards, beating shops from far bigger towns. It has grown from three staff to nine and spread into the premises next door for a children's department. A bookshop that runs events, knows its readers, and has become the cultural heart of a seaside town. Worth the short trip out from Cardiff.