Welcome
"A kind of dream bookshop and small town cafe." Neil Gaiman
Shortlisted (and Highly Commended) for Independent Bookseller of the Year 2009 (Bookseller Retail Awards)
Shortlisted for Scottish Independent Bookshop of the Year 2009 (The British Book Awards)
Shortlisted (& Highly Commended) for The Scottish Countryside Alliance Rural Enterprise Award
"They are an exciting new business that has brought fresh life to a village high street. They employ local people, stock local books, serve local food, and, I believe, could well become an icon for rural business in the Borders and across Scotland." John Lamont, MSP
Based in the beautiful Scottish Borders village of St Boswells (just off the A68), we are passionate about books, coffee and the pleasure of shopping for beautiful things. Whether you are based locally, visiting the area on holiday or just passing through on the way to Edinburgh or Newcastle, there are lots of reasons to visit. The bookshop is the heart of what we do, with over 5,500 titles in stock (and space for many more as we grow). We believe that reading should start from the earliest possible age, so our children’s section is particularly important to the shop, from Edward Ardizzone to Harry Potter. That said, we cater for readers of all ages and tastes, and if you can’t find what you’re looking for we can order it from a range of over 750,000 titles often for next day delivery.
EASTER OPENING HOURS:
Please note that we will be closed on Easter Sunday and Easter Monday, otherwise, we are open as normal.
News:
Thursday 4th March WORLD BOOK DAY with Alexander McCall Smith. We are delighted to have Alexander McCall Smith coming to the shop to talk about his new book, The Double Comfort Safari Club. I'm afraid tickets have sold out now, however we are keeping a reserves list in case of returns, so please get in touch if you would like to be added (info@mainstreetbooks.co.uk or 01835 824087).
Wednesday 2nd December - Mary Contini was talking about her new cook book, VALVONA AND CROLLA, A Year at an Italian Table, at a joint event with our friends at The Borders Book Festival (fresh from their triumph in another guise as the Lennoxlove Book Festival). Mary charmed her audience with fascinating stories of how Valvona and Crolla came to establish the magical deli we know and love in Edinburgh.
Thursday 12th November: Clarissa Dickson Wright gave a hilarious talk about her new memoir, RIFLING THROUGH MY DRAWERS. More stand up comedy than author event, there was not a PC word to be heard all evening!
We were very pleased to be given Highly Commended at the Bookseller Retail Awards in the Independent Bookseller of the Year category. No other category awarded a highly commended and the judges were very kind in their comments:
'The Judges loves the energy and innovation at the heart of this bookshop in the Scottish Borders which began in June 2008 and is already achieving great things. "From a standing start, they have built an incredibly professional business," enthused one judge. The store's family-friendly layout, lively front-of-house children's area, free storytelling for pre-schoolers and the numerous author events were just some of the store's praiseworthy achievements." ' The Bookseller magazine
We have had a busy few weeks with events including the national launch of DEATH OF AN OCEAN: A Geological Borders Ballad by Euan Clarkson and Brian Upton, where we just managed to seat 70 in our smaller room. Children's authors Johnny O'Brien and Charlie James also helped us celebrate Children's Book Week by visiting schools in the Borders.
For more information on events, please see our Events page, or email info@mainstreetbooks.co.uk.
JUNE 2009 - OUR 1st BIRTHDAY!
We had a wonderful 1st Birthday on the 20th June, much free ice cream was consumed along with delicious birthday cake. I'm proud to say that we raised £150 for the Borders General Hospital Macmillan Centre through our raffle. Congratulations to all our winners! Thank you to our lovely authors, Barbara Mellor, David Robinson and Tom Eglington for coming along to sign copies of their books on the day.