Mary on Waterstones

 

    In case you haven't seen it, here's Mary Portas's review of the Waterstones branch in London's Gower Street. I'd love to see what Mary would do if she did get her hands on a bookshop - note her offer at the end of the piece!

Comments

[Dark Puss]

Thank you for that link. I have watched with increasing sadness the decline of this famous bookshop next to University College and Birkbeck College ever since I set foot in the original in 1981 when it was Dillons. I have seen a staggering reduction in the range of academic titles, particularly in the sciences, mathermatics, engineering and computing with quite a lot of space being lost to the dreaded coffee shop that seems to be almost obligatory in bookshops of any size these days. In Central London we are overrun with cafes and quite frankly I think Watersones made a poor decision to include one in this building. I do go in from time to time, but really this is such a pale imitation of its previous incarnation I wonder why I bother. Foyles is going the same way I fear.

[Darlene]

This location is across the way from a B&B we used to stay at (the family sold up). I would run over every chance I had to grab a few minutes to explore and really enjoyed the second-hand offerings. Yet to see that over here in a new bookshop but I'd like to.