This is The Mainstreet Trading Company, a gem of a bookshop in the Borders village of St. Boswells. I mentioned it the other day in connection with Independent Booksellers' Week, but I hadn't seen it for myself then; now I have and I'm glad to say that not only did it live up to expectations, it surpassed them.
Light, bright and spacious, it has a superb range of stock including many, many Cornflower favourites (so a person of taste is obviously doing the choosing!), and I was served by Rosamund de la Hey herself who was very friendly and accommodating and who, having previously been children's marketing director at Bloomsbury, clearly knows her stuff.
We spent a while browsing and then had lunch in the café at the far end of the shop -
no pictures of that but good soup, excellent bread and wonderful coffee was there in abundance, and they had a very tempting selection of cakes, too.
The shop's smart pale grey bookmarks bear these words of Henry Ward Beecher's: "Where is human nature so weak as in the bookstore?"
Unlike some of our party, and because of the enormous piles waiting at home, I was quite strong, buying just the one book this time, but I can see that any future visits to the Borders will demand a return trip to enjoy more of what this lovely shop has to offer. Do go if ever you get the chance!
You missed out the punchline, what was the book you bought?
Glad the shop lived up to expectations.
Posted by: Dark Puss | 22 June 2010 at 08:51 AM
Wow thats an absolutely beautiful shop! I do wish there were more and more bookshops like this. I wonder if this is the direction Waterstones will go if they do try and become a local bookstore again (unlikely)?
Posted by: Simon (Savidge Reads) | 22 June 2010 at 11:38 AM
Glad you enjoyed it!
It's even more difficult working there full-time; my own pile of books is gargantuan, and my appetite for coffee and cake still strong despite many attempts to reach my limit!
Hope you can make it back soon.
Thomas (Bookseller/Barista at Mainstreet Trading)
Posted by: Thomas Ogilvie | 22 June 2010 at 01:46 PM
Thankyou, Thomas, I shall be back as soon as I can, and the coffee was perfect, by the way!
Posted by: Cornflower | 22 June 2010 at 01:57 PM
I'd love to see your shop too (though my iron will will probably not let me buy any books) and I also like coffee and cake. If only you were still connected by rail.
Posted by: Dark Puss | 22 June 2010 at 02:04 PM
I love this bookshop, and make a pilgrimage to it whenever I'm in the Borders. There's a good one in Melrose as well but it doesn't have the excellent cafe. And what did you buy?
Posted by: desperate reader | 22 June 2010 at 06:37 PM
Because I can't resist a pun I'm afraid I have to comment that this looks a much-better-than-Borders bookshop in the Borders! Looks lovely, wish I lived nearer
Posted by: Oxslip | 22 June 2010 at 06:56 PM
Dark Puss, we're told that three consortiums (consortia?)have put in tenders to build the Borders railway which will reconnect Edinburgh and Melrose, which is a few miles away. If all goes according to plan - and, looking at Edinburgh's tram project, what could possibly go wrong? - it will be running by 2014.
Posted by: Mr Cornflower | 22 June 2010 at 09:09 PM
I do hope so, but running by 2014? That would be impressive! Even in Geneva the new (well to be correct it's a replacement) tram from Cornavin to CERN has taken a few years now and they are pretty good at that sort of infrastructure project. Book me a ticket on the 09:15 in September 2014 please!
Posted by: Dark Puss | 22 June 2010 at 09:13 PM
Although I can't judge the stock from this distance, it's certainly beautifully laid out and looks lovely!
Posted by: Simon T | 22 June 2010 at 10:47 PM
This is amazing to have such a large bookshop in a village - never mind an independent one. And a cafe too - my dream.
Posted by: Choclette | 23 June 2010 at 10:33 PM
Oh I do envy you that book shop! We have nothing like it near us - the closest would seem to be in York nearly 20 miles away.
Posted by: LizF | 25 June 2010 at 10:09 AM
Another envious person here! Lovely, lovely bookshop. I'm very lucky to live in an area overflowing with bookshops and would still love to visit that one.
Posted by: Nancy B. T. | 25 June 2010 at 11:38 PM
Ooo ooo. We've been there - it's so lovely. It's very near my husband's hometown. It's going to be a regular visiting Granny treat from now on. No independent bookstores near us here in the inner city, sadly.
Posted by: The Vicar's Wife | 12 July 2010 at 10:50 AM