The Team
The Rowleys
Owners
Ian Rowley first took over The Haslemere Bookshop in 2014! Although you won't often catch him behind the counter, he plays an integral part in the running of the bookshop (like paying the bills and always making sure he's on hand to provide a hot drink or reasons to make us laugh).
Cathy, his wife, works part time in the shop on a Monday. It's a special day when you work with Cathy, as like Ian, there's always a hot drink involved (and maybe even cake!)
Emily
Manager
Emily's been a part of the bookshop team for over 15 years, and has been manager for 5 of those! She's the brains behind it all; from the book fairs and events, to the stock we have on the shelves, she does it. You can even trust her to make each of our birthdays special - she makes the bookshop the warm and well-oiled machine it is!
With her finger on the pulse, you can also trust she knows the next best read, especially if it's contemporary fiction!
Charlotte
Fulltime Bookseller
Charlotte's the creative force behind the shop, and has projects on the go constantly; from the newsletter and website, to our displays and windows (and pretty much anything else that involves what the rest of the shop call 'cutting and sticking time'!), you can trust she's been involved in some way. That is, if she's not caught up with a four legged customer...
A lover of speculative fiction, horror and nature, Charlotte's your go to if you want something weird or other worldly!
Sue
Part-time Bookseller
If you're a friend of the bookshop, it's likely you're a friend of Sue's too! She's been a part of it's story since 2001, as both bookseller and manager for 7 of those years, until handing over the reins to her daughter Emily. Now semi retired, you can still catch her in the shop part time, helping with its every-day running and sharing her invaluable knowledge.
She's our resident poetry and natural history lover, and has a keen eye for prize winning fiction - find out what she recommends here!
Heather
Part-time bookseller
Some of you may already know of Heather (particularly as she probably fitted your child for their school uniform!), but since early 2023 she's been a treasured member of our team. We're incredibly lucky to have her, along with all of her knowledge in retail and her ability to whip us into productivity!
She's our resident crime fanatic, although admittedly we're trying to wean her off... surely there's only so many books on bookseller deaths that one can read? Right?
Deborah
Second-hand manager
Deborah is the heart and soul of our second-hand section! She does everything, from accepting and evaluating potential books, to organising all of where they go. We're not sure there's someone better suited to the job - she has an uncanny ability to make five rooms worth of books fit into three!