New bookshop to bring thousands of titles to Portobello

A NEW independent bookshop is to open in Portobello this summer, its owner has announced.

The Portobello Bookshop, located on the busy High Street, will stock around 8,000 titles, while the space is also planned to host a “vibrant programme of events”.

It comes just months after the announcement indie bookseller Topping & Company was to open the “largest independent bookshop in Scotland for decades” in the city centre this summer.

The new shop in Portobello will also feature a “really special children’s section”.

Owner Jack Clark said now is the “perfect time” to launch the store.

Mr Clark, who has a background in photography, spent the last six months working at the Shelter bookshop in Stockbridge. When the Portobello premises - a former restaurant - became available he decided to act/

Speaking to The Bookseller, Mr Clark said: “It’s an ideal place for a bookshop, as they have a thriving and highly community-oriented high street. I saw a community consultation that was conducted a couple of years ago, and a high number of respondents said that one of the elements missing from the area was a local bookshop.

“When this premises became available I thought it was the perfect time and place to open somewhere.”

He added that Scotland has a “really vibrant publishing and bookselling scene now” and hopes his project can add to Edinburgh’s literary charm.

The announcement comes after Waterstones revealed plans to launch another store in the capital called Stockbridge Books. The shop will be part of the new Raeburn Place development in the Stockbridge area.

Elsewhere independent bookseller Topping & Company will open a shop in the town centre this year. The 4,000sq ft store will be at 2 Blenheim Place - a Grade A-listed William Playfair building.

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