Staffordshire bookseller's novel way to trade

 

It is hard to put a price on the value of a good book, but one Staffordshire bookseller has traded her wares for everything from shoes to a haircut.
Sarah Henshaw, from Lichfield, took to the water on her converted narrowboat to promote independent booksellers.
The 28-year-old travelled 1,000 miles through 700 locks on The Book Barge over six months.
Miss Henshaw and her shop have now returned to the barge's permanent mooring in Barton Marina.
The former journalist opened her bookshop in 2009 when she moved back to Staffordshire after spending several years working in London.

The Book Barge has travelled more than 1,000 miles

Earlier this year she decided to embark on her trip to encourage people to support independent booksellers.
"The last few years have seen a huge decline in the number of non-chain retailers in the wake of massive discounting trends by supermarkets and online stores," she said.
At the start of May she set off on her voyage travelling along the canals of England and Wales and calling in at various towns and cities along the way including Birmingham, Stratford-upon-Avon, Oxford, London, Bath, Bristol, Gloucester, Worcester, Llangollen, Manchester, Skipton, Leeds and Nottingham.
For most of the journey she travelled alone but was joined occasionally by friends who offered to help out.
She said: "We've visited as many cities, towns and villages as we could in six months, teaming up with local bookshops en route for joint events and, for the whole journey, living almost entirely off our books."
More at BBC News.