West Norfolk
Today I combed the West Norfolk bookshops. There was only one remaining follicle, in Downham Market.
Downham Market
Downham Market is a small, traditional, friendly town in West Norfolk well populated with elderly people. The pace of life is pleasantly slow.
Trains to Downham Market run every hour. They are scheduled to ensure that if you walk into the town to go shopping you are guaranteed to miss your return train by about five minutes. There isn't much to do in Downham Market that will last 55 minutes.
100. No8, The Old Bookshop is at 8, High Street. It is ten minutes walk from the train station. The name suggests there is a newer bookshop somewhere in Downham Market. There isn't. Online I have seen this shop listed as No1 The Old Bookshop, Bob Pearman's Books, and The Old Bookshop in King's Lynn. Search engines are not as reliable as this human-made blog.
The Old Bookshop has been running for two and a half years. It is managed by the West Norfolk Deaf Association. It is quite big inside, around two narrowboats in size, but the space is shared between secondhand books and welfare services. The building is old so has a nice atmosphere and is easy to browse.
The Old Bookshop is the best example I've seen of a bookshop being a community hub. The shop was very busy with people having hearing aid batteries replaced, having hearing tests, donating books, and getting community advice. The manager, Sarah Cox said that the sale of books and community activities covered the cost of rent and the NHS services they provide.
The books on display were interesting. In my view there wasn't adequate space given to books. The shop has about two hundred thousand books available online but only a small number are in the shop. It is worth a visit to see what a bookshop can do for a community. You are unlikely to find a particular book, though.
Cromer
Cromer is on the North coast of East Anglia. It is therefore cold. I arrived at 4pm. Cromer shuts at 4:30pm. I managed one bookshop.
101. Shiloah Bookshop is at 23 Church Street, opposite the Baptist Church. No surprise that Shiloah is a Christian bookshop.
The bookshop is quite small - there are two rooms each half a narrowboat, one sells new Christian books and the other sells secondhand books. The secondhand section extends a bit into the back.
Shiloah, which means "Gentle Waters", has been trickling along for four years. Manager Lisa and her husband said that Christian bookshops have been dying out over the past few years. The secondhand section helps to attract a diversity of customers.
Prices are good but the range is very limited, to fiction, classics, history and whatever she thinks will sell well locally.
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