The owners of a bookshop in Kirkby Lonsdale have opened the doors to their new premises.

The Book Lounge has been on Main Street for five years with its sister shop the Jigsaw Lounge arriving two years ago.

The team has now combined both businesses into one, revealing the Book and Jigsaw Lounges that can be found at 41 Main Street.

Valerie Laycock, one of the owners, said: "What a journey it has been, starting as a second-hand bookshop to being a shop full of new books and a wide range of bookish gifts with a small selection of used books.

"We’ve also hosted book launch and signing events, and school author visits too."

The team has been 'very busy' over the years making both shops a success, and moving everything under one roof will hopefully give them even more room to grow.

Books will be able to be found on the ground floor, with jigsaws, bookish gifts and used books available on the lower level.

The move however has come at a slight price for both staff and customers.

"Sadly, I haven’t been able to take our Barista coffee machine with us as there isn’t room to be serving drinks," Mrs Laycock explained.

Opening up the new store has perfectly coincided with 'Independent Bookshop Day', which is taking place on October 14.

This is a day to highlight the cultural importance of books and bookshops and to celebrate the people that bring the two together - booksellers.

"Online retailers can offer lower prices and a larger book inventory, and you don’t even need to leave home to buy a book, but they're not booksellers," said Mrs Laycock.

"Booksellers are people who take joy in matching reader to book, and that human input is an important part of the experience of buying a book."

Mrs Laycock added that shops such as hers are an important part of the community, with the shop hosting a weekly storytime with the local church and promoting the works of local authors.