About Bookishly
What is Bookishly?
Bookishly is a literary-gifts company founded in 2009 by Louise Verity, designed for book lovers and stocked by hundreds of independent shops around the world. The collection features words and quotes from classic literature alongside playful sentiments any reader will recognise — cushions, framed prints, Jane Austen gifts, accessories, and a monthly book subscription.
The company is more than a single brand: from the same Northampton workshop Bookishly also prints, frames, and fulfils orders for other artists and designers, and sells frames directly to that same market through its sister brand Frameishly. As Louise puts it on the about page, the goal is "to create an enjoyable and meaningful workplace with a proper work/life balance for our whole team. I want it to be a place where people want to work, can earn a good wage, and as a result, focus on what is good for them."
Where will I work?
Bookishly's workshop is in Moulton Park, Northampton, England — the production hub where products are printed, framed, packed, and shipped daily. New roles are based at this workshop; the company is upfront in its job ads that the production work is hands-on (printing, pressing sublimation products, cutting frames on a Morso guillotine, assembling and packing).
What is the Bookishly team like?
Founder Louise Verity describes Bookishly's growth from "a hobby to a thriving business" — from a one-person operation to a small named team. The Meet The Team page lists 8 named people: Louise Verity (Owner, Creator, Director), Gemma (Designer, Art Worker), Jamie (Framing and Production Co-ordinator), Sue (Office Manager and Chief Organiser), Jess (Artworker, Framer, Designer), Sam (Marketing, Social Media), Lionel (Assistant Framer), and Marion. Louise is candid about her values: "I'm passionate about entrepreneurship as activism. By running a business in a way that benefits the employees first, we can show other entrepreneurs that not only is it the right thing to do, it makes good business sense to treat people well!"
Work-Life Balance
Bookishly runs a four-day work week on full pay. Per the careers page: "We work a 4 Day Week, which means staff work 80% of a standard working week for 100% of the normal pay. Our working days are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, with some Wednesdays in the run up to Christmas." Wednesdays are the off day. Louise explicitly extends flexible hours "not just for parents, but for anyone who needs it" — the company's policy is that the 4-day week and flexibility apply to everyone.
Perks and Benefits
The benefits Bookishly publicly verifies are the structural ones a small, hands-on UK workshop can sustain long-term: a 4-day week at full pay, flexible hours available to anyone on the team, a small-team workshop environment in Northampton, training on production equipment (Morso guillotine and underpinner) provided on the job, and the chance to contribute across the studio as the team rolls between print, frame, fulfilment, and subscription work. The values-first culture is real and public: the founder's "entrepreneurship as activism" framing is on the about page, the team page lists individuals by name (not faceless roles), and the company is structured to keep growing as a small, employee-first studio rather than scaling into anonymity.