Independent Bookseller of the Month: Camden Lock Books, Old Street Station, London
Every month we feature a different bookshop – we ask them to tell us what makes them special and what they like most about what they do. This month it’s the turn of Camden Lock Books, located in Old Street Station in London.
Jason Burley, proprietor of Camden Lock Books, one of the Capital’s most iconic independent bookshops, gives us an insight into what makes his ‘local shop for local people’ tick…
Introduce yourselves.
Books were my vocation. My 1st tiny shop in Camden Lock market was sold to me by a diplomat called Dodoo who was being posted overseas; I bought it with my Enterprise Allowance, £50 a week for a year. 1984 – if ever there was a year to start an independent bookshop then 1984 was mine. My opening gambit was junking the existing stock, bringing in offbeat secondhand books and naming it Lot 49 Books (after Pynchon). At the zenith I’d expanded to 3 shops (1 on the SouthBank, 2 in Camden Lock). When we moved our last remaining premises to Old Street Station in 2002 we were stocking exclusively new books.
Mhairi McGeachy is the assistant manager; she’s worked for me very many successful years – she loves her books and her jazz music.
Are there any specialisations, enthusiasms or interests you and your staff have that are reflected in the
shop’s stock?
We’re a general indie who specialise as well in great photogaphic books, books on music (and CDs eg.ECM & World) and local history.
Do you work with local authors, hold regular events and readings, etc.?
Local London authors sign and read their work in our shop, most recently Iain Sinclair and Chris Salewicz. All future author events will be announced on Twitter (@camdenlockbooks).
What are you reading at the moment?
I’m reading Susan Hill’s Howards End is on the Landing, her top 40 books with knobs. Just finished Jonathan Lethem’s Chronic City, echoing back to the spirit of Pynchon’s Crying of Lot 49.
What are your criteria for any book promotions (e.g. 3 for 2, window placements, etc.) you may run?
We provide ‘3 for 2′ on our customers’ bestselling 50 paperback and hardback novels; ‘Buy 1 get 1 Free’ on choice paperback crime and commuter books; ‘2 for £10′ on key literary hardback fiction; and a shopfront window displaying our leading general books at less than half price.
What makes your shop THE shop to visit when in town on a book-buying mission?
No station bookshop in London has a wider general stock. So, for outstanding convenience of access by public transport, combined with depth of stock, and people who’ve cared about the books they sell (from their home-made shelves) for over 25 years, buy your books from this surprising gem of a bookshop. We’re open weekdays 8.30 am until 7 pm.
You can call the shop on 020 7253 0666, and find them at:
Camden Lock Books
Old Street Station
London
EC1Y 1BE
and visit their website at http://camdenlockbooks.co.uk/home/index.html
