FAQ
Can I donate books?
Absolutely! We are always grateful for donations. If you have anything that you would like to donate, you are welcome to drop them off between our opening hours of 8.30pm and 5.30pm. Alternatively, if you have a large collection which you would like to donate you can contact us [here] to arrange for us to collect them from you.
Do you buy used books?
We don’t tend to buy from personal collections often, however if you have a large collection which you are looking to sell then we would be happy to take a look and see if it is something which we would be interested in. You are welcome to send us a list or some photographs [here].
What’s the deal with the books?
We sell a selection of new and secondhand books. Our new book stock is carefully curated by our staff. We also have new stock listings through bookshop.org. Our full secondhand stock is only available in store, so we recommend visiting us to get the full browsing experience!
Some other responses to questions we get a lot about our books: No, we’re not a library. We don’t swap books. You can’t read them and then bring them back. We’d rather you didn’t just take new books off the shelf and read them at length at your table – we are trying to sell them and if people do that it worsens their condition quite considerably.
Do you have a kids play area?
No, we do not! We have a section in the shop that has our children’s books (as most bookshops do.) This doesn’t mean children can be left unattended. Books are heavy and stored up high, and are very dangerous when they fall. It’s easy for books to be damaged if children are excited about them, which is another reason we need children to be supervised at all times in the shop! Please be mindful of the books in the kids area as well, because we are selling them after all. Stick to secondhand stock and be gentle with those as well please 🙂
Can I use your space for an event that I want to host?
Get in touch! The shop has been used for a lot of different things and we have reasonable hourly rates for use in the evening and can adjust depending on your requirements. If you have an idea that you think we’d be interested in co-hosting with you, feel free to shoot us a message.
I’m an author/publisher and would like to have an event with you/have my book stocked in your shop!
We are actually taking a wee break from hosting author events for the rest of the year. But you can send us a message if you have any questions. Even when we are able to facilitate author events, with the amount of work that goes into them on our side, it’s simply impossible for us to say yes to every request. We decide which ones to do based on what we think would be most interesting for us and for our customers. We’re unable to host author events for self-published writers, and the only self-published books we stock are small press poetry. If you’ve written a poetry pamphlet/book and you think it would do well in our shop, shoot us a message! Please note: we know our demographic and if we don’t think it’s for us we won’t be able to take any copies.
Do you sell gift cards?
Yes we do! Please note that gift cards can only be used in store and are not redeemable on bookshop.org
Are you hiring? Can I send my CV?
At the moment, we aren’t hiring and we don’t keep CVs! When we are looking for staff, we will update this page and advertise on our social media accounts. (Instagram & Facebook). If you send us a CV unsolicited either via email or social media, it’s likely we won’t be able to respond to you. We aren’t being mean we promise, but we have a small team and don’t often have positions available.
Can I sit in the cafe with my own food/without buying anything?
No, sorry. We only have limited seats. You’re of course welcome to browse the books at leisure, but seats are for paying customers only. Yes, this also means you can’t bring your own lunch but buy one of our coffees (or vice versa!) Again, we aren’t being mean but this is common cafe etiquette.
Can I study/plug in my laptop in the cafe?
Of course! But you are expected to continually purchase things to keep your seat. You may also be asked to share with other students if it’s exceptionally busy. We do this so that we can try and keep everyone happy and still have space for other customers.
Do you have gluten free/vegan options?
We don’t do gluten free cakes, but we have gluten free bagels that you can have with anything on our menu! We have a wide range of veggie/vegan food options, including alternative milks.
Can I interview you for my school/uni project?
We’d love to help, but we don’t have the time, I’m sorry!
Are you dog friendly?
Yes! We’ve also been known to have cat visitors. But please please be mindful of other customers and our stock/furniture and don’t bring your dog in if they’re wet or if they’re prone to barking at people/kids/other dogs.
Still have a question?