Woodbridge
Woodbridge sits on the Deben Estuary one train stop from Ipswich. It's a very attractive, traditional town. Apart from Oxfam books there are two bookshops in Woodbridge. Both have the cheap lino floors that squeak and clack as you walk on them. Sounds echo badly in the shops. This is horrible to anyone sensitive to noise.
All the bookshops are on Thoroughfare, about five minutes walk from Woodbridge station.
105. Browsers Bookshop is at 60, Thoroughfare. According to their website they have been running for about fifty years.
It was about 2.5 narrowboats side-by-side and traditional in layout. More room was given to empty space than books. Given the linoleum floor and the space, sounds echo badly. It was like shopping in a rifle range. Some cushions, dead bodies or carpets on the floor would help.
The range of titles was limited but the books were appealing.
I didn't speak to staff members as the noise of conversation would have been painful.
106. Woodbridge Emporium is at 66, The Thoroughfare. Is it a tea shop? A gift shop? A bookshop? It was a strange blend of all three that seemed to work.
The shop was less than 2 narrowboats in size and divided into three rooms. The books were mind-body-spirit-feminism or "trendy" depending on your viewpoint. The topics included paganism, magic, astrology, crystals, health, aromatherapy, veganism, and the associated paraphernalia. Like all such shops it smelt lovely.
The shop has only been running two years. Due to the its layout the noise wasn't so intrusive. I spoke to staff but the owner wasn't available for comment. She keeps her own blog. I might post some questions on it.
Wymondham
Wymondham station is about ten minutes from Norwich station, or an hour and ten minutes if the train is cancelled. Wymondham was the start of a rebellion led by Robert Kett against new land enclosure laws, causing hardship amongst peasant farmers in the sixteenth century.
105 Kett's Bookshop is at 3 Warton's Court, in the town centre about ten minutes walk from the station.
The shop was due to close in 2013 but a group of people met in a local pub and decided to seize control and run it as a community scheme. Many rebellions start in a pub. I suspect the bookshop thing is just a cover. Today, it's the bookshop. Tomorrow, it will be Parliament. For readers, for Wymondham, and for the country! I'm just warning you.
The bookshop is quite small, too small in my opinion. It is pleasantly quiet due to soft furnishings and a carpet. Titles are engaging, although the number of books is limited. It is arranged traditionally.
The shop is run by 22 volunteers. Rebels - sorry, volunteers - are led by Tracy, the manager who previously worked for AVIVA in their customer experience team. Volunteers help select and recommend books. Their website was redesigned three years ago with the help of funding from Harper Collins.
Tracy says the shop is leasehold but it is secure because the landlady is "moral" and likes the shop. I too like the shop. Staff are friendly and it shows a way in which a bookshop can be a community-owned project to help strengthen relationships and overthrow the government. Sorry - scrap that last bit.
106 M & AC Thompson is a secondhand bookshop at 1, Town Green.
This is a nice little bookshop run by a man from Stranraer. It is about one narrowboat in size and has books on many subjects except science and technology. The shop has been running for thirty-eight years. When I entered, the owner was tuning a twelve-string guitar.
Unfortunately the owner was a conversationalist. This made it hard to talk to him as he was in sustained conversations with customers. When I did, I learnt that he started out in the 1970's. He would buy Scotland-themed books in Norfolk at a discount and mail them to friends in Scotland for a profit. Eventually he opened the shop and sold books for a living. He plans to retire "next year", but he's been saying that for the past eleven years. I think he is in his seventies.
It's a nice bookshop to browse, undisturbed.
It's a nice bookshop to browse, undisturbed.
The Journey Back to Cromer
The train between Wymondham and Norwich was cancelled on the way back. I pressed the info button on this box:
The little people inside the box were barely audible. They said they couldn't advise me because the conversation would be automatically cut off after a couple of minutes. Then the speaker went dead. I tried phoning for a taxi but was told it would take two hours for a vehicle to arrive. The train came after 95 minutes. Hell, no wonder rebellions start in Wymondham.
Cromer ... and finally,
107. Bookworms is at 9, New Street.
Two people have independently recommended this secondhand bookshop for its range of books. It is just down the road from No 1 Fish and Chip Shop which is also regularly recommended, for its range of fish.
Hopefully I shall review this bookshop before I leave Cromer tomorrow.
