Launch of the new Waterstones York!

Ever since I first read about Waterstones moving to a new premises in York I've been ridiculously excited. Whilst I've always loved my local Waterstones, I was looking forward to seeing the new shop as well as the addition of a Cafe W that would accompany the move. Whilst visiting other Waterstones across the country I've always liked the inclusion of somewhere to have a drink, because what could be better than the combination of a book and a cup of tea?

Saturday 26th April saw the brand new Coney Street Waterstones officially open to the public. It isn't far from the old shop, but the new shop is a much better space. But before I get into how much I love it, here's what happened on the day.

I arrived about 11am as the official opening had been billed for about 11.15. There were people inside the shop holding baloons and sipping on complementary alcohol when I arrived, but I'd arranged to meet my friend so I stayed outside admiring the books through the window. I wanted us to experience walking through the doors together!

At around 11.15 the town crier appeared from inside the shop, gathering the crowds and alerting them to the opening. A photographer was present to document the occasion so he jokingly warned anyone who was on the run from the law that they might want to skedaddle! Alongside the town crier were special guests Spot the Dog and the Lord Mayor of York. I videoed the main bit so you can watch below!

After the ribbon was cut we headed inside. Instantly I fell in love with the amount of space and light in the new shop, as well as the attractive displays. It looked fantastic. Of course my first instinct was to find the YA/Teenage Fiction section which I found in a lovely corner at the back of the shop. There were two display tables of books, on which I found the first of my purchases - A Kiss in the Dark by Cat Clarke. I then sought out the one book I had come to buy which was Goose by Dawn O'Porter, which I found quickly enough. I probably spent another twenty minutes perusing the shelves before my friend and I forced our way to the tills to pay for the books we had picked up.

Next it was upstairs to check out the new Cafe W. I've been to a few Waterstones that have Costa coffee shops but I've never sampled a Cafe W. And the experience was lovely! I had a very nice pot of tea and a free sample of one of their cakes which was scrummy. The cafe area is light, bright and comfy. It's definitely going to become my new haunt!

Our local book shops are so important, with more and more closing each year. I really hope that Waterstones York is here to stay, and I think with the move they have created an even more enjoyable book buying experience. I urge everyone to pop in soon!

Now I'm going to curl up with my new reads! Thanks Waterstones.

Books Are My Bag: The Little Apple Bookshop & Waterstones York

So if you're around on Twitter you may have noticed the Books are my Bag campain to promote local bookshops. The big launch was Saturday 14th and so I decided to head into town and visit two of my local bookshops!

First I visited my local Waterstones. I wasn't too sure how much they were participating but when I got inside I discovered Books are my Bag balloons behind the till - hurrah! I headed downstairs to the YA section (my first port of call in that shop every time) and spent time browsing. First up I spotted Soulmates by Holly Bourne which was one of the books I had in mind when I headed into town. Because it was on buy one get one half price I just had to buy something else! So I grabbed Every Day by David Levithan because it's a book everyone seems to be talking about. I got to the till and the bookseller was super lovely! I asked if they had tote bags and they did, so I got my books in my very own Books are my Bag bag - woo! Thank you Waterstones York!

Next up I headed to my local independent bookshop which is the other side of town. It's a gorgeous little shop right by the minster (the whole time I was there the bells were ringing out!).

As you can see they had balloons up outside and banners in the window. I was so excited! I went in with my mum and we both spend a long time browsing. There's so much to look at in there! You want to explore every nook and cranny to make sure you don't miss anything.

My mum picked up two books and I had one in my hand, but once I got to the till I spotted they had a signed copy of More Than This by Patrick Ness so I put my other book back and grabbed that one whilst doing a little dance of joy!

Then I had a lovely chat with the bookseller about Patrick Ness and how awesome his books are. In fact my mum and I probably stayed for ten/fifteen minutes just having a chat with her about everything which was SO nice! It really reminded me exactly what the point of the day was. You just don't get a better book buying experience than that. Anyway, here are some photos I took of the super lovely shop!

Super lovely bookseller!

Me with my goodies by all the Books are my Bag bunting!

Oh and as you can see she gave me a balloon, which I loved because I am a big kid. I carried it around with pride along with my new tote bag. Yay! I left with the biggest smile on my face. Once I got home I checked Twitter to see everyone else talking about their visits to bookshops and what they had bought. It was honestly so uplifting and moving to see everybody come together like that.

So here's me outside the two wonderful shops I visited today. Excuse the fact I am being blinded in one photo and look miserable in the other. I am not photogenic.

And here are my goodies!

I have a funny story about the tote bag because when I got home I discovered one of my totes had the name of The Bookshop Kibworth on it. So, being the Twitter addict I am, I looked that shop up on Twitter and gave them a tweet! I've decided it's my destiny to visit that shop one day now, so whenever I'm next in Kibworth I shall be dropping by with my bag!

@TotalTeenFic Que?! That is officially *bizarre*! What have @BAbooksellers @IndieBound_UK been up to?! #crazymixup
— TheBookshopKibworth (@kibworthbooks) September 14, 2013

@TotalTeenFic Marvellous! #serendipity xx
— TheBookshopKibworth (@kibworthbooks) September 14, 2013

I really hope I can carry on visiting and supporting my local bookshops. It's quite a hard thing for me because I'm not currently in a position to work and money is tight, so splurging on books means I have to sacrifice something else. But just little things like being able to chat to the booksellers and discovering that signed Patrick Ness book really sparked something in me. If I'm going to treat myself to a book in future I'll definitely be checking out what The Little Apple Bookshop has in store, because that feeling of finding something special and leaving the shop feeling so happy is something I want more of!

For more information about the Books are my Bag campaign then check out the following links:

www.booksaremybag.com
twitter.com/booksaremybag
facebook.com/booksaremybag
booksellers.org.uk