Paignton – a
bustling, touristy sea-side town, resplendent with arcades and charity shops.
Paignton offers to a tourist every part of what a British holiday should be,
including sticky rock and postcards. It also offers to those holiday makers who
want to escape from their holiday escape, in the form of three bookshops in
which are contained hundreds of journeys to embark upon.
Of the three,
Parkside Books is most ideally situated right among the arcades. On your way to
Lidl you may pop into Parkside and pick up value books, too. ‘Budget Fiction’ a
sign proclaims in the window. This shop does exactly what it says on the tin.
Our second
bookshop is perhaps not so perfectly situated but draws in booklovers
regardless. Flying the flag for independent bookshops, The Torbay Bookshop was
busy as I stepped in. Colourful, personable and welcoming, the bookshop offers
the unique advice-over-the-counter with friendly staff that is so hard to find
in big chain bookshops. That, and the shelves are continually updated. The shop
has a clear layout and offers, as any good bookshop should, a book ordering
service from reliable and nifty resources. It is efficient and yet holds a lot
more personality than some other shops out there. And what about the book
signings and other literature based events? The Torbay Bookshop is rather
brilliant. Why not enjoy a Thornton’s coffee whist contemplating a possible
purchase?
Readers may have
noticed a distinct lack of bookshops of the second-hand variety in Paignton.
Not to fear! Situated close to The Torbay Bookshops lies your redemption.
Epicentre has a distinct hand-made quality to it, and you would be excused of
thinking, as you step in, that this was somebody’s living room. Deep,
comfortable sofas entice readers to perch in bliss and contemplate the vast
array of books on the walls. Books surround every surface and they all seem
hand-picked. It has books whose condition makes it seem unread, practically
new: and it has those delicious old books that mark this shop from the rest.
You may notice that a coffee machine lies behind a homely counter, and that
there is a menu offering delectable dishes at moderate prices. Epicentre is a
gem of Paignton, offering creative workshops and a variety of good quality
books. Doubly satisfying, is you are a vegetarian, for there is no mention of
meat anyway on the menus.
All good things
come in threes, someone once may have or may have not said. The bookshops in
Paignton cater to every kind of book browser, including vegetarians and
chocoholics. It offers the best of books, in a variety of different shops, and
it is a town that is very definitely well read.
Epicentre
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