The owners of Simply Books, voted Independent Bookshop of the Year for the North of England at the 2025 British Book Awards, have announced they are opening a new site called Prologue.

Based in Stockport, Prologue will be an independent bookshop featuring a cocktail bar, speciality coffee shop and dedicated event space.

Prologue was first announced in June while the shop was still an empty unit in the Weir Mill development. They will soon be announcing their opening date, but in the meantime they have released a series of renders to give visitors a taste of what the new space will look like (see below.)

The space has been designed with both readers and writers in mind. “We’ve truly ripped up the bookshop rulebook to create something really special,” says Ben Johns. “We wanted to build somewhere that feels like much more than a place to just buy a book, somewhere people can spend time, discover something new, meet authors and become part of a literary community.”

The shop has been purpose built to support an ambitious programme of author events, launches, open mics and performances. The space includes a stage and green room for talent, where they’ll host everyone from bestselling authors, to open mic and comedy performance evenings.

Prologue will take an innovative approach to bookselling, with the team working across the shop floor and using handheld devices to serve customers. There will also be a dedicated concierge desk, offering event tickets, curated recommendations, access to thirty book clubs, a range of language classes and other events.

For writers, there will be creative writing workshops in a variety of genres plus a dedicated library table, all-day coffee service and cosy reading nooks with adjustable lighting – perfect for co-working. There is a dedicated book club room, designed to be a home for readers to meet, discuss books and make new friends.

And to fuel all this literary activity, Prologue will serve coffee and pastries in throughout the morning, while the bar will offer literary cocktails, wine and thoughtfully crafted non-alcoholic drinks.

Customers can now sign up to the waitlist for first access to Prologue’s book clubs – and the team are already taking special bookings for celebrations including birthdays and weddings.

“This really is a new chapter for us.” Says Ben Johns. “When we started with an empty shell on a building site, it was tricky to know exactly what the space would look like. But, we’ve worked really hard to create something truly special. We’re so excited to welcome old customers and new ones alike.”