Ok so I'd already reviewed this place, but I'm not sure if it moved up the street or what but a slightly different address is now being listed as "closed" so, here's my review for the "non closed" listing:
The thing with a bookstore is that they have to do a lot to compete with the likes of Amazon. Unfair? Maybe, but true. It's just so easy to order online, and you know that you'll be able to find what you're looking for. When you go into a bookstore, you risk them either not carrying or being out of what you want.
BUT - when you buy online, you miss out. Have you ever wandered into a bookstore for one thing and come out with an arm-full? I do that, a lot. I can't help myself. Books I've never head of are cleverly displayed which makes me pick them up and read the jacket and realise that it sounds fabulous, so I buy and subsequently love it. Now that's an experience you wouldn't have online.
Anyway... the Edinburgh Bookshop manages to serve up the benefits of going to an actual bookstore (paired with incredibly lovely, helpful, and impressively knowledgeable staff - bonus!) with the convenience of shopping online. By that I mean that they will happily order anything you like. And, if they can't get it for any reason, they'll let you know how and where you can order it yourself.
Seeing as it's located directly next to my bus stop, this makes it *more* convenient, and certainly more enjoyable than shopping online.
I'm definitely a convert. read more