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Charlotte Robinson and her son Piers who helps run the Amwell Book Company |
Turning over a second-hand leaf
It’s hard for an independent book shop to compete with the big high street names, but a family-run business at the Angel is a rare exception, writes Peter Gruner
IT has survived the arrival of congestion charge zone and the internet and the rise of the chain store book outlets.
The Amwell Book Company, which specialises in second-hand and rare books, even managed to avoid closure last year when Islington put its council-owned rented property on the market.
To the surprise of many the Robinson family who run the shop managed to raise sufficient cash to buy the freehold.
Independent bookshops close down on a regular basis due in part to the dominance of the large book chains, but this north London gem manages to do steady business at the shop, a former pawn brokers in Amwell Street, close to the Angel, Islington.
Asked about the secret of their success, Charlotte Robinson who has run the shop for eight years, says it is about remembering to cater for local literary tastes as well as outside interests.
Among the most expensive books sold by the shop was a 1950s first edition hardback of Ian Fleming’s Casino Royale which went for £1,500. And a far eastern travel book called The Road to Oxiana by Robert Byron, written in the 1900s, also fetched £1,500.
Charlotte recently sold the illustrated Auction Guide for the sale of Crystal Palace which was used to sell off the landmark building after it went bankrupt in 1900. That went for £500.
A former architect, Charlotte has been selling second-hand books for 25 years and once had an outlet in Soho. She currently has a stock of 4,000-5,000 books specialising in local history, art, photography and particularly architecture.
“I’m interested in architecture and my husband Dickon is an architect – but nearby Clerkenwell apparently has the biggest population of architects in the land,” she said.
There is sufficient business for the shop to be open four days a week. “People like to come in and browse,” she said. “But, increasingly, book lovers are not finding the time.”
In order to survive these days a bookshop needs a website and the Robinsons do an increasing amount of business online.
“Dealers are less inclined to visit so we do quite a lot on the internet. But we are competing with Amazon,” Charlotte explained.
“However, it’s a marvellous feeling when someone orders a book online from the Amwell Book Company from China or Japan.”
An avid reader herself, Charlotte is currently enjoying the 1861 classic Silas Marner by George Eliot. She’ll be discussing it at her next meeting of her local book club.
“Second-hand books can provide tremendous interest and pleasure,” she said, “particularly if they are out of print. But they have to be in reasonable condition.”
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