Kemptown Bookshop, Brighton

Not content with nearly two weeks off we managed to sneak in a little extension of the Christmas holidays by spending the weekend in Brighton. We're fortunate to have extremely generous friends that let us to stay in their gorgeous flat in the trendy Kemptown. The arty community that inhabits this corner of Brighton take pride in their independent shops, galleries, cafes and restaurants. The feeling of community emanates from every brick and mortar, and very welcoming they are too even to visitors like us. Shop keepers take time to engage you in conversation happy to share their lives and experiences. No other place does this better than the award winning Kemptown Bookshop that lies at the heart of this community, nestling amongst the vintage shops, delis and cafes.


Last Friday Matilda and I made the most of a break in the rain to take a wander, we ended up taking shelter amongst the books as a hailstorm ensued. The lower ground floor of Kemptown bookshop is an Aladdin's cave for a young child. Hundreds of books and traditional toys fill the shelves, a little seating area provides the perfect place to browse whilst deciding which little gem you'll take home.


As you may know from previous posts of mine I love to support a local bookshop whilst also passing on my love of books to Matilda. The husband and I have taken a conscious decision not buy a Kindle, we both love a real book in our hands fresh off the bookshelf. Books surround us at home occupying nearly every surface, thankfully Matilda seems to have adopted our passion for her room has piles of books all over that she 'reads' in bed before lights out. One of her favourite activities is browsing a bookshop and often requests a trip to our local Nomad Books where she'll tuck into a smartie cookie as she explores the shelves.


One gets the impression that each title is carefully chosen at Kemptown bookshop, the local customer considered and catered for. The warm welcome one receives here is testament to the passion they clearly have for what they do and for the community they serve. They have over 10,000 books in stock but if by chance they don't have what you want in, they provide a next day ordering service. Established over 40 years ago I sincerely hope they remain here for many, many more. It is a light, well laid out shop filled with glorious goodies including a lovely card and stationery range.

If you're in Brighton and you're a lover of bookshops do take time to visit, believe me you won't regret it and you certainly won't leave empty handed. We came away with another Winnie the Witch story to add to Matilda's collection which we then enjoyed reading back at the flat with the sound of the wind and rain lashing against the windows.

Comments