Culture, life & commentary for the thinking British reader

Smith's Magazine

Culture, life & commentary for the thinking British reader


Latest Articles

Between the Lines: How a Generation of Unlikely Entrepreneurs is Rescuing Britain's Literary Soul
Culture

Between the Lines: How a Generation of Unlikely Entrepreneurs is Rescuing Britain's Literary Soul

As corporate chains retreat and Amazon dominates, a remarkable cohort of career-changers is breathing new life into Britain's beleaguered independent bookshops. From former bankers to retired teachers, these literary evangelists are rewriting the rules of what it means to sell books in modern Britain.

The Charity Shop Chic Delusion: How Britain's Second-Hand Obsession Became the Ultimate Middle-Class Performance
Society

The Charity Shop Chic Delusion: How Britain's Second-Hand Obsession Became the Ultimate Middle-Class Performance

From Depop entrepreneurs to TikTok thrift hauls, Britain has embraced second-hand shopping with evangelical fervour. But beneath the sustainability rhetoric and vintage virtue-signalling lies a more complex truth about class, consumption, and our eternal need to perform our values through our wallets.