A year in the shop

April 1st is our first birthday as owners of Book Haven. It is amazing to think we have been here  for a whole year now! The time has flown quickly but what a pleasure and honour it is to be on the other side of the counter in the book trade. Thank you to everyone who has come into the shop - whether to buy books, to browse, to chat, to donate or sell books or to attend our public events. You have all  been part of the journey.

It has been a year of opportunities, adventures and insights into the secondhand book trade. There's the joy of finding once loved books for people, connecting readers with new authors or topics that they may not otherwise stumble upon, matching owners with new treasures, and then there are all the many discussions and chats about books, writing and authors that take place. We have learnt a lot and we are still learning! There are so many interesting readers and books out there.

Over the year, we've made some changes to the shop. We have re-arranged shelves, merged and split some sections, and made more space for people to browse and peruse. We've introduced a loyalty card where you buy nine books and get the average off the 10th book. And we’ve started having regular public talks and readings at the shop, and we plan to continue with that. The Freedom Shop has moved into the front with its large collection of zines and pamphlets. Thanks to everyone who gave us feedback - most of it has been positive, which is encouraging for us. 

Of course, none of this would have been possible without the hard work of the Book Haven team: Sue, Liam, Phoebe and Monqtuya. Thank you!

We are looking forward to what the next twelve months bring and all those daily interactions that create the magic of a second-hand book shop. So please continue to visit us, or if you haven’t been by yet, do drop in - we are open seven days a week, 10am to 5pm.