A New Children's Bookshop in the Heart of the Old Town

This is an old post that I have been meaning to publish for a few months... late is better than never! :)

When I'm up in Leeds for university I love living in a city, but when I come home it makes me appreciate and love my little coastal home town all the more. Hastings old town has had a lot of newer shops, bars and cafes open up over the last few years injecting new life into that end of town. On my latest visit back home for the summer I noticed a new book shop opening up in the heart of the old town in George street......

Being a trainee primary school teacher, anything that encourages young children to be excited and motivated to pick up a book, and enjoy reading is a good thing. The Bumper Bookshop for boys and girls is doing just that!

The books are displayed in a child-friendly and appealing way for young children and are aimed to allow children to access the books in the shop with ease.

It's a wonderfully colourful bookshop, decorated with hand prints, paint splats, bunting, images from storybooks and arts and crafts.

What makes this little bookshop so special in my mind is that it is not just a shop, it's a cafe too! Allowing parents to have a a cup of tea and a cheeky slice of carrot cake while their children enjoy the books and a cupcake.

The Bumper Bookshop for boys and girls also regularly has events that allow children to get involved in arts and crafts, listening to stories at "storytime", sing songs, have parties, get involved in book-themed events, book signings, and above all else, have fun!

As a child I used to love our family weekly trip to the local village library which was conveniently at the bottom of our road, and if I was a child now with this wonderful bookshop within a stone's throw away from where I live, I would definitely spend most of my time there! I think it's a lovely addition to the old town, and when I have either had a nervous breakdown from the stress of teaching or feel like I need a change, I would love to open a similar kind of shop and spend my days organising arts and craft activities with children, baking and selling cakes, and getting children enthusiastic about reading.

Find the Bumper Bookshop on Facebook, or their website.