A POPULAR bookshop has been crowned the 'best in the country'.

The Imaginarium is an independent bookshop located off Lymington high street in Angel Courtyard. 

Owners Robyn Parker-Hales and her husband Daniel were blindsided at the award.

The pair revealed they didn’t even know they had been entered for the Muddy Stilettos award let alone won it. 

The online lifestyle magazine announced the exciting win on July 31.

Robyn said: “We didn't even know about Muddy Stilettos.

“Someone had nominated us for the regional award which was done by public vote and then we won that.

“Because we won the regionals, we were put into as a potential winner for the nationals.

“Then we found out in June that we won that as well.”

After only being open for a year, Daniel and Robyn are overjoyed with their achievement.

Robyn added: "We can't actually believe that we won. We love our little shop, and we have a wonderful customer base who also love it.

“It's such an incredible feeling to be recognised for what we're trying to achieve.

 “We wanted to create a community hub, a safe space for readers to enjoy books and I think we've done that."

Some 77,000 businesses across the country were considered for the accolate across 27 different categories. But the Lymington bookshop achieved the top spot.

Robyn has been overjoyed with the local response, she said: “When we set up the bookshop, we wanted to create a community.

"It now feels like we've managed to do that because people that we don't know, that have never been in before, are making a point of stopping by to say, well done.

"Independent bookshops are so vital for communities. We work with schools and colleges and host story times to encourage younger readers.

"We've helped raise money for charities and connected readers and book lovers through our events. The sense of connection we have with our customers is incredibly valued."