Boutique Bookshops

Well now that Borders had gone kaput, exactly where are we supposed to go to flop down with a book and a cuppa? Yeah amazon is great for superb deals and speedy delivery but the downside to online shopping is that you do not get to experience the lovely sensation of touch and smell which you gain from real time shopping. Sometimes you just want to chill out in a warm and friendly bookshop, flicking though the books and savouring some high tea. Well all is not lost because last Sunday I was flicking through The Times Magazine (glossy supplement that comes with The Sunday Times) and they had a little piece about Boutique Bookshops where they talked about the growth in independent bookshops in Britain. At these delightful places you can have coffee served in china cups, home made biscuits and can make good use of snug reading rooms as well as screening rooms. In case you want to sample these boutique bookshops then pop down to Lutyens & Rubenstein and Cinephilia in Notting Hill. Also make sure you check out Phaidon's pop up store in Picadilly which features titles on visual arts and culture. The store will be there till next January so you still have time to check it out.