Our local bookstore is part of Waterstone's which now belongs to Russian Oligarch Alexander Mamut. For quite a while they managed to make the store fairly welcoming, supported by a very knowledgeable and helpful staff. The store recently had a makeover and now looks anything but inviting. Too many cards for every occasion on the ground floor and a new cheap looking colour scheme. What were they thinking? And now I read that the new head James Daunt wants "your Waterstones's to feel like your local bookshop, not a chain." Please start soon, because at the moment, it feels anything but!
And luckily, there are still some very good examples around, like e.g. Nomad on Fulham Road, small, but welcoming, and where you feel you can spend time alone or with your kids, browsing, planing a vacation or getting inspired over coffee and cake.
grey or green
grey or green
You can find out more about them here
“Bookstores help create community for people in the places where they live. People may think they can live online, but in reality they live in real towns and cities, and physical bookstores help to enrich those places.”
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