Kemp Town Bookshop

An independent book shop spread across three floors, the Kemptown Bookshop is a haven for bibliophiles. I love browsing book shops, and this one is particularly nice; it has a cosy atmosphere, added to by the classical music playing softly in the background and the friendly staff. As well as books they sell a decent range of stationary, and there is a lovely café on the top floor which is very quiet and chilled out. If I was still studying I would love to come here, sit at one of the big tables, or the bar in the window and do my work with the aid of a latte. As it is, I’m now a graduate and I live in Hove, so the Kemptown bookshop will not be one of my regular haunts. I’m jealous of the locals who get to come here often though!

Kemptown Bookshop is also a Café based in the heart of Kemptown, it’s a great chill spot and a nice place to read and relax. The are well stocked with all the newest and best fiction and will happily order in anything or stock it for themselves on request or suggestion. As well as a great selection of very aesthetically pleasing books, they also have some very nice gifty goods including board games and other clever albeit novelty bits and bobs. I noticed they have a very extensive popular science section which I always enjoy, though maybe too much esoteric in relation to other sections downstairs. All in all a very well thought out and lovely shopping/​coffee experience.

Oh, I still quite like this bookshop.
Now that I’ve had the opportunity to visit this shop on an (almost) daily basis, and have had a coffee and cinnamon whirl in their café, I feel as though an update to my previous review is required.
Their classics section is absolutely fantastic. This section spans 4 shelves, and you’ll be able to find many (many!) classics. Kemptown Bookshop also allows you to place orders for those books you’re unable to find. As long as their supplier has the book in stock, you’re looking at next day delivery. Their children’s section is also fantastic, and I was able to pick up the complete collection of The Brothers Grimm tales for a cheap price.
Their café is often busy, and there aren’t many tables. But if you happen to visit the shop and no one is upstairs in the café, you’ll be able to treat yourself to a relaxing cappuccino while you flip through your book. It’s quite the relaxing atmosphere in there.
Yep, it’s still a good bookshop.

I happened to chance upon the Kemp Town Bookshop when I had some time to kill whilst waiting for a bus across town. For once, it was worth hanging about and I actually missed the bus anyway as I was browsing the shelves. Oops!
My regular indie bookshop shut down recently in Hayward Heath (a victim of the dreaded recession), so it was nice to see that not all local businesses have fallen prey to hard economic times. Of course, you won’t find this shop stocking the range of titles that the chain ‘super’ books stores would, but then again you won’t find the cozy feeling you get in the Kemp Town shop.
I am a keen reader of random occult non-​fiction and due to my Masters, anthropology books. Both these genres were a bit thin on the ground, but I did find some interesting travel and cookery books. The staff are very approachable and more than happy to get any title not on the shelves ordered for you. I’m not sure how long it would take a book to arrive by this process, but I’m sure it would be on par with an order from an online outlet.
The coffee shop is very pleasant and a welcome break from the Costa’s and Starbucks that seem to have invaded some of the areas of Brighton that used to be considered independent (ie the North Laine about 10 to 15 years ago).
I guess, giving this shop your custom really comes down to your purchasing morals. Yes, you will likely find titles on the shelves cheaper from online retailers and you may not have to order your book in from brand booksellers, but at the same time I would prefer to give my money to a shop that is operating from a love of the printed word, rather than just profit margins. incidentally, I picked up a book on Mediterranean cooking and have already enjoyed a number of meals from it’s pages.

Kemptown Bookshop is a lovely local bookshop buried in deepest, darkest Kemptown, with a small tea room/​café attached. I wish I could like this place more: it is delightfully charming and the staff are friendly, but they never seem to have the books I want. Beyond that, the tea-​rooms are often too busy, and the prices are higher than some of the nicer places in town. In short, it just misses the mark on too many accounts.
The bookshop itself seems, from the outside, to have a fairly wide selection. However, on entering, there is little on some very mainstream subjects, and their fiction selection seems to be little more than a mixture of bestsellers. It seems amazing that, in three floors of bookshelves, I couldn’t find one piece I wanted. I’ll admit, my taste in books is a little niche, but still… three floors!
The café is very nicely made up: it really does look and feel like an old-​fashioned, quiet little tea room. The problem is, it’s about the same size as an old-​fashioned, quiet little tea room too: a couple of small tables, little more. Add on top of that that the prices are just a little bit expensive, especially in the Kemptown area. There’s little to really like here, or come back to specifically.
I wish I had more positives to say about this bookshop, as it is very sweet and the staff are so helpful, but there really isn’t anything special here. I wouldn’t go here for a specific book, but I imagine most people would enjoy a browse here, even if I didn’t.

This is, by (my) definition, a proper bookshop. It’s small and independent, the entire selection is browsable within an hour or two and there is a gorgeous little café upstairs (with the occasional gluten-​free cake, if I’m lucky).
India Knight recently wrote an article in The Sunday Times about the national ‘death’ of the bookshop (
) but shops like this are still thriving in Brighton (and I very much hope they will continue to do so).
The great thing about a bookshop with a café is that you can buy a book, then sit down to read it with a lovely cup of tea and a flapjack. Simple, but wonderful. Also, every time I’ve been in this bookshop with friends (one of whom works there, so I must confess a slight bias in favour of the place), someone on the next table has leant over to say something like: I’ve read that book, isn’t it wonderful?, or: I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation… and joined in! In a world where people seldom strike up conversations even with their neighbours, I find occasions like this incredibly touching and almost romantic. Bookshops SHOULD be a hub of conversation and community life. This is exactly what the Kemp Town bookshop provides it’s definitely my favourite place to take my laptop and tap away.

I can walk around bookshops for hours, and I can sit quite contently in a café for equally as long. I spent around four hours in the Kemptown Bookshop earlier this afternoon. So sat with a book and a pot of Earl Grey sat an enjoyed the calming ambience. There are only a few tables in the small café but there is a nice little window bar over looking the street. I had the homemade bean and Mediterranean vegetable soup, it was the last one of the day but shouldn’t have affected its quality. Relatively cheap at £3.95 but it had very little texture or seasoning. Making up for it however was the almond and pear pie, absolutely amazing. And they have a counter full of the different sweets. Persuade yourself from the food but indulge in tea and cake!

Being an avid reader of everything from American literature and short stories to crime noir, I’m always on the lookout for good book stores. Sadly, Brighton is so small it doesn’t have anything on the scale of Foyles in London or The Strand in New York.
It does however, have quite a lot of quirky new and secondhand bookshops dotted around including Kemp Town Bookshop. A firm favourite with locals, it’s an independent bookstore spread over three small floors. There’s sections devoted to everything from art and travel to sci-​fi, crime and childrens books. I can see they clearly put time and energy into the stock but alas, there weren’t any books in the contemporary fiction section that I loved the look of and hadn’t already read.
Other book lovers should note, there’s a café on the top floor selling coffee, juices, smoothies and snacks and they run creative writing workshops and events throughout the year. Just a shame there was no new Walter Mosley or Lorrie Moore books for me!

The Kemp Town Bookshop is a lovely independent bookshop with a warm atmosphere and friendly, helpful staff. You’ll find it if you follow St James’ Street along for a ten minutes walk onto St George’s Road. The stock isn’t huge although varied and quite up-​to-​date, so it’s not great if you urgently need an item for you’re reading list at university (although they will order in and deliver). But the effort that goes into choosing the titles — whether in childrens’s books, art, travel… — does make it great for a browse. You’ll also find a little café upstairs, and this bookshop is one of the few remaining independent bookshops that I’ve found with such a thing — offering a great change from Starbucks in Borders. They sell organic hot chocolate, french pastries, yummy organic muffins and light lunches (soup, sandwiches, panini, salad, bagels…). Mmmmm. Seriously, this place is far too little known and well worth a trip if you’re a bit of a bookworm like me.