posted on 09 Apr 2019

Bridport Old Books

I was delighted to visit this long established second hand and antiquarian bookshop which opens six days of every week. It is situated at the top of South Street next to the Arts Centre by the curiously named Bucky Doo Square, right in the heart of the charming Dorset town of Bridport.

Stepping inside the shop was a treat because I realised straight away that this was a bookshop owned by someone who took the trouble to entice. The atmosphere felt spacious, clean and very welcoming. I was pleased to see that the main room was dominated by a colourful selection of old children’s books facing out plus an evidently well cared for collection, some in glass display cases and others on a table just inside the door.

The shop specialises in children’s and illustrated books, West Country topography and leather bindings but includes many other subjects with stock that is well presented and reasonably priced. The smaller back room was equally light, airy and uncluttered with a good selection plus a bookcase with paperback books.

The owner was very friendly and chatted to several customers while I was taking a closer look at what was on offer.  I got the feeling that people dropped in on a regular basis to browse without any pressure to buy.

As well as being a popular seaside destination with many seasonal tourists, the overall culture of the town is one that clearly values literature, art, film and music. There are two other bookshops in the vicinity and it was encouraging to see several passers by stopping to browse in the boxes outside Bridport Old Books, and to look at the interesting window display. I didn’t buy anything on this occasion but that was because I already had several of the books in my personal collection (more evidence of discerning taste on the part of the owner).  I hope to take another look in the near future and strongly recommend a visit.

 

Karen Argent

April 2019