Chorlton Bookshop

I bought a book from there today and found the member of staff to be quite unwelcoming and miserable. I don’t remember if she even thanked me. I won’t be going again.

Great service, a good selection of books on special offer, and friendly with kids. Always ready to help with ideas, ordering books, service to book clubs etc

This is a lovely little bookshop, brimming with atmosphere and charm. I only wish there were more like it in Manchester — especially when so many of the truly independent outlets are getting swallowed up by the horrible homogenous likes of Waterstones and their ilk. Indeed, it reminds me ever so slightly of ‘Black Books’ and I’m sure I can’t be the only one who, whenever they walk in there, keeps waiting for Bernard Black’s head to pop up from behind the counter.
Back when I lived in Chorlton, one of my favourite things to do was to pop in here and just browse its well stocked bookshelves for half an hour or so. Its staff are always polite, friendly and helpful, and if they don’t have the book you’re looking for in stock, they’re always more than happy to order it in for you.
A truly wonderful, cosy, one of a kind store. Long may it prosper.

Have you ever seen Black Books? If you haven’t, you clearly haven’t lived. A tiny, cluttered bookstore with haphazardly strewn books all over the place, run by an insane Irish drunk. However the only similarity between Bernard Black’s fictional shop and this real one is that they’re both little. This sells brand newies as well as classics and it’s quaint, titchy and quite lovely.
At the rear of the shop is a great children’s section and despite the overall teeny size it does manage to hold an excellent range of books, from gardening, crafts, cookery and other hobbies to all kinds of fiction as well as travel writing and fashion. The fact that it’s independent should draw you in. Much as I enjoy an online bargain I wholeheartedly support businesses like these and long for them to survive and thrive, and the staff here are friendly and helpful without being intrusive. Now you can’t buy that kind of service online.

I feel that as my taste in literature is completely opposed to the review Unilocaled below, I should add my support for Chorton bookshop, as it is still worth a visit for those of you who like good books.
Though there is unfortunately a large selection of average contemporary literature for middle-​class mothers that wastes a few shelves worth of space, there is also a good selection of classic novels at good prices, that are really worth going in for.
As for Jackie Kay and that terrible Trumpet novel, I’d rather hit myself over the head and throw my English degree out the window, than read that again. Luckily its not on the shelves here now, so there’s no chance of making the mistake of picking it up and forgetting to put it back down again before you’ve read it.

To my knowledge and at the time of writing, Chorlton Bookshop is the only independent bookshop of its kind in South Manchester. (I’m not including second hand bookshops.) And it enjoys all of the advantages. The staff are friendly and helpful without being pushy. The shelves are well stocked with a surprising range of subjects given its size; gardening, cookery and crafts rub spines with fashion, fiction and travel. If you can’t find what you’re looking for you can take advantage of the fast ordering service.
The back of the shop gives way to a children’s area, again with a surprisingly diverse variety of authors and topics given the overall size.
The mark of a good bookshop for me is both the range of subjects and the selection of titles on display. This feels like a personal recommendation. Chorlton Bookshop scores highly on both counts.
It’s also handy for wrapping paper and greetings cards.

Toni Morrison
Alice Walker
Jeanette Winterson
Angela Carter
Raymond Carter
Richard Yates
Cormac McCarthy
Annie Proulx
Carson McCullers
It might be smaller than the travel section of Waterstones but Chorlton Bookshop is a lovely independent bookshop stocked with fine fiction and poetry. I’ve only visited half a dozen or so times but the fact I’ve never left empty-​handed speaks volumes about the owner’s selection. As well as a lots of classic British and American fiction, there’s a strong, wee selection of African-​American fiction, womens fiction, crime noir and books by critically acclaimed local authors.
If I remember rightly, it was Chorlton Bookshop where I bought a copy of Jackie Kay’s excellent debut novel Trumpet many moons ago. Since then, the Chorlton based author has produced some compelling books of poetry and short stories but I’m still holding out for her second novel. C’mon, Jackie!

This is the only shop in Chorlton that sells brand new books. Although the bars on the windows don’t entice you into this bookshop, I would advice you to go in and have a browse.
Although this is quite a small store they manage to pack quite a lot in, including a range of current and classic novels. These are shelved around the edge of the front room, and in the middle there is a table with many discounted books ranging from travel guides to recipe books. In the back room there are non-​fiction books including foreign language books and dictionaries.
The staff are really friendly, and if they don’t have the book you’re looking for then they can order it for you. They also have a gift wrapping service, and a great selection of arty cards including ones with Quentin Blake illustrations which I love.
Let’s hope that the giants of Amazon and co. do not force this lovely traditional bookshop out of business.

Love this shop and I love the personal service, my one issue is that the books are nearly always full price. I popped in for my holiday read the other week and bought a book for full price — £19.99 but when I got to the airport it was half price. Yes I realise local independents give better service and find it hard to compete with the big boys, but and extra £10 is an aweful lot to stomach in these difficult times. But I’ll still pop in during their sales in January.

I like visiting this shop. It has a great atmosphere, with really nice music always playing. The staff are friendly and helpful. You can browse without pressure and there are always great displays.
There are also arty cards and gift sets. I go to this shop a good few times a year. Always before Christmas and always look forward to my visit. This is a proper traditional bookshop and comes highly recommended.