Libreria Bookshop — Local services in London

I have to change my previous review, unfortunately. This is still in my top 5 London bookshops, and I have spent a large chunk of my salary every month at that place since it opened. It's beautifully curated and has mostly lovely, helpful staff. Having recently enquired to find a book that I had seen a week ago on the featured table, the dude on duty was pretty rude and unhelpful about it. Eventually, he tried to bring up a list on the computer and such, but I just kept getting that too-cool-for-you, East London "hipster" 'tude. He was really sarcastic and condescending about the appeal being a one of a kind curated shop (which I totally understand), and his knowledge of the books for a small shop simply wasn't up to par with what most expect from these kinds of bookshops. There are numerous bookshops in London where the staff have an immeasurable knowledge of their stock and are very well-read, hence are able to be enthusiastic and helpful with such queries. Given, I couldn't remember the name of the book, but I wanted to buy it from this shop and support them because they're are doing great things. Again, I love this bookshop, but I was astounded by this guy's complete indifference to good custom - I was the only person in the shop and was quite happy to buy in excess of £100 on books there and then, but he really put me off and made me feel uncomfortable unnecessarily. Second Home is trying to create a particular atmosphere there, and I hope the one I just walked into isn't it. You'll lose steady custom quickly - enthusiasm and good manners are so necessary, and not hard at all. Do visit, but don't expect much in the way of stock...

My partner and I visited this lovely book shop on one of the only proper dates we’ve been on together. We perused the shelves and then bought each other a couple of books and then went to a local cafe to exchange gifts and read together for a few hours.

The shop is lovely, with a brilliant mixture of books and a fun layout. The back wall is a big mirror which really tripped me out because I thought the shop was twice its actual size.

Re accessibility and size inclusivity: the shop is packed in with books, at times (as a small fat person) I felt too big for it, so not great for fatter people and I can’t imagine getting a wheelchair in between the shelves unfortunately.

The staff are lovely and they will offer to put a lovely stamp in the front of your book for you which is a nice detail.

He got me Jeanette Winterson’s Written on The Body and Valarie Solanas’s SCUM Manifesto. He knows me so well. I loved them both. I love...

It is a lovely little bookshop off Brick Lane. I can definitely see the appeal in the atmosphere. (Please don’t quote me on this but) I remember reading online somewhere on how the owner and designer wanted to reinvent reading space within the shop. The intention is applaudable but given the rather cramped confines of the shop and the angular ‘edgy’ styling of the shelves, the place best remains as a bookshop as opposed to a friendly reading corner for the community. The books they have are alright. They are great for someone who wants to have a browse, be surprised by a title on the shelf and have a fun read for the week. The books are arranged according to topics with small boxes of guest curator picks. That’s fun. However, if you were looking for specific titles or wanting a lot of one subject, this would not be the best place for it. That said, loved the...