• The Hub

    News, Notes, Talk

    Who will buy this little Welsh bookshop, which comes complete with hundreds of books?

    Emily Temple

    March 1, 2023, 10:27am

    Attention book lovers yearning to get out of Dodge: a down-on-its-luck bookstore in the Welsh mining town of Blaenavon (population 6,055) is headed to (online) auction next week, with bidding to open at the low low price of £72,000.

    Sure, it needs some work. But it comes with all the books, and sits below a three bedroom apartment, also included in the sale. It’s also, according to the listing, very close to the Blaenafon Cheddar Co, which “matures cheeses in an old mining pit.”

    About 20 years ago, there was a push to turn Blaenavon into a “book town” like Hay-on-Wye, but the project failed, so I suspect this isn’t the only bookstore in the area in need of a new owner and a little rehab. Start with one, and soon you’ll have everything you need to become the book baron you’ve always wanted to be. What could go wrong?

    [via TimeOut UK]

  • Become a Lit Hub Supporting Member: Because Books Matter

    For the past decade, Literary Hub has brought you the best of the book world for free—no paywall. But our future relies on you. In return for a donation, you’ll get an ad-free reading experience, exclusive editors’ picks, book giveaways, and our coveted Joan Didion Lit Hub tote bag. Most importantly, you’ll keep independent book coverage alive and thriving on the internet.

    x