Lights out now and the bookshop is going to sleep. It's been a great first day, thank you Chester (and the people from Yorkshire). So many nice visitors and thank you for the compliments
Now that
@uochester
is banning lecturers from keeping books on campus, we have been working hard to save many volumes from being skipped. The university's loss is the bookshop's gain. Rilke anybody? A bit of Kafka?
#secondhandbooks
#literature
#bookerprize
@chloeltear
@northernassist
@guidedogs
Distinctly remember two school assemblies, one primary one secondary, where a guide dog came in with owner/trainer/handler. We all learnt that you NEVER approach or interact with a guide dog in harness. Is this not common practice?
We're running out of space for all our "new" stock so we are going to do bulk-buy offers for the remainder of January. Also free books outside in the frosty sunshine. Come and fill your boots.
#BargainHunt
#freebies
#freebooks
The bookshop's a bit too far outside the walls to get included in any tours but we're doing our bit to get
@ShitChester
on the map. Today we had visitors from Derby, Nottingham, London, Glasgow who had found out about us from
@Google
@dailytelegraph
.
#northgatechesterbookquarter
@thegobbledegook
@wendyhouse28me1
Running a secondhand bookshop and sorting through thousands of books brings the "invisibility" of women into sharp relief. SO many books by men, about men.
First children's book sold to a little visitor! Very happy about this; small people are always welcome to bring their parents in to the shop.
#ChildrensCorner
#ChildrensBooks
Through March and April the bookshop will only be opening intermittently, as we deal with some recent criminal activity and have a bit of a rethink about how we do things. (Tomorrow's event on Trade Unions at 7pm is not affected)
And, we WILL be back.
#retailsurvivors
It's World Book Day and everyone who wants a book should have one. There is the box of
@KidsbankC
free children's book the bookshop table is piled with books that are free just for today. Thrillers, historical fiction, fantasy and non-fiction.
#WorldBookDay
#sharethebooklove
Three shelves of books priced at 50p each; free books outside while the rain holds off; Valentine's Day gift books; a new book on Trades Unions. Saturday in the bookshop.
#secondhandbooks
#ValentinesDay
As of today it's been two months since we started
@amblongusbooks
on
#Twitter
. So grateful for all the support we've got from
@ShitChester
people in virtual and face2face ways. Obvs followers only count in the thousands
#GOAT
, but we'd be at 400 by midnight with just 11 more
Eighth in the queue to report a crime to
@cheshirepolice
And when you get through "It's not a crime". £50 stolen feels like a crime. It's
@ChesterRaces
doing their stuff for the city
@ShitChester
- getting the dodgy notepushers in. Take care everyone.
@GaryUsher_
Opened in 2021. Everyone said it was a mad thing to do. Still hanging in there but biggest problem is
#britainneedsapayrise
.
Give money to rich people & they take it to the Cayman Islands, but if you make sure ordinary folk get paid properly they spend it with local businesses.
That's Christmas Eve done. Thank you all for your custom, this week, this year; and all the positivity, encouragement and support. We are closed now until 3 January.
Merry Christmas!
Solidarity with everyone who is fighting for a fairer, fitter, functioning society. One where people have secure jobs, decent wages and enough money in their pockets to keep local businesses going. Free hot drinks in the bookshop for everyone on strike today
@NEUnion
@ChesterUcu
Amblongus Books condemns all acts of sexual harassment and abuse of power. Amblongus Books will always be a safe space for women to visit and to work.
#noexcuses
#zerotolerance
If any child comes to visit us after visiting KidsBank (we're just round the corner) and we have the book that matches their character, they can have that book for free
#WorldBookDay
#Reading
#lovebooks
Today was a busy day. Thanks to
@CheshireLive
@standardchester
@ShitChester
and
@ChrisM4Chester
for your support.
And thank you to everyone who has bought books today.
(To save disappointment; we are not able to buy books from people atm - we need people to buy OUR books 🙂)
Free books available outside the bookshop this afternoon. Lots of crime/thriller/detective . They're in a box on the windowsill. Please help yourself.
#freestuff
#chesterbargains
Free books outside today. This will be the last day of the free books giveaway for some time, so come and get them while you can!
#freebies
#fillyourboots
#Chester
We’ll, doesn't she look pretty in the sunshine? ☀️🏬🛍😎🎁🪴
Plus we’re on the edge of town so you can definitely come see us & swerve the races 🙈
The roundabout isn’t looking too crazy right now either 🙌
Open til 6pm today 💚💛💜
#shopindie
#shopsmall
#shoplocal
#justacard
Two shelves of classic paperback fiction written by women. (Some modern classics in there too) These books are only £1.50 each and it makes us very happy that they walk out of the shop faster than any others.
#womensfiction
The best way to engage with
@Essar
@ShitChester
half marathon. Breakfast sandwiches and coffee while waiting for the first runners to arrive. Good luck everyone!
Passing 500 followers may be small in the twittersphere but it's big to us. Thank you everyone who has supported us on social media. Thank you also for the helpful book donations and above all THANK YOU to the people who come into the shop and BUY BOOKS.
#shoplocal
#WeCanDoThis
Thank you to Ian Kennedy
@bbcmerseyside
for giving us the opportunity to talk about the bookshop on his show yesterday. Fantastic to talk to people who love books and bookshops
#sharethebooklove
@Meltdownchester
Bookshop was quiet too 😥. We have had some generous donations of great books but people need to come in and BUY BOOKS. Really hope people see your message and turn up and eat! 🙃
Lots of "new" stock at the bookshop and the sun is shining, which can only mean one thing . . .
#freebooks
on the windowsills outside. Get them while you can because
#WinterIsComing
@ShitChester
The "haven't-been-since-they-stopped-free-after-three" and "I'm-only-going-to-Cheshire-Oaks-now" set were never going to save high street retail anyway, were they? Let's forget about them and move on.
@simonharris_mbd
Thank you. Because Remembrance Day is about commemorating ALL the victims of war. It is not about nationalism, jingoism or celebrating military might.
Pleased that new stock coming into the bookshop means we are able to fill the classic paperback fiction shelf with all women writers today. All priced at only £1.50 each.
#CostOfLivingCrisis
, what cost of living crisis?
#cheapattwicetheprice
Another lost
#seaside
building I wish I'd seen -
#NewBrighton
Tower was built to rival that at Blackpool and was 70ft taller. It was made of steel and sat above an entertainment complex that included a ballroom and theatre. The tower was demolished from 1919
#postcardoftheday
How can buying books support Ukraine? Because here at the bookshop we selling some valuable donated items on
@shareshopsuk
behalf. We take no commission for these sales so ALL the ££ can go direct to
#Ukraine
support.
York railway station has an important place in Amblongus Books' life. It was during a wait here that the decision to open a secondhand bookshop was made. There is something about the great arching space that creates a sense of possibility.
#buildingsmatter
I was the only person venturing through
York station (by Harrison & Prosser for the North Eastern Railway, 1877) at 2330 last night; without passengers for context, the great curved iron trainshed felt like the fragile skeleton of a giant creature at rest. My pace quickened.
@ShitChester
If you see us tweeting about saving random buildings - sometimes in places far from Chester - it's because we believe in RETROFITTING. Culturally, aesthetically and environmentally, surely it has to be better than demolition? This church is a great example.
BIG parcel on its way to USA. The 1922 Atlas has been sold. As soon as it arrives
@shareshopsuk
will get the £££ 🙂 Thanks to
@fostersbookshop
for the advice. Now who would like the WWI books?
This map is really beautiful as a physical "thing". We have copies to give away in the bookshop (if a downloaded image on a phone screen doesn't fill you with joy 🤣).
Due to
#StormBabet
we have had almost no customers today. So, a friendly reminder that all our books are available to buy remotely. We frequently post books to all parts of the UK and abroad.
#mail
#neveramazon
Sun is shining so the free books are outside again. Thank you to the people who donate books to the shop, which makes it possible to continue this. But most of all thank you to the people like
@CllrSDixon
who understand that if businesses are going to thrive they need CUSTOMERS.
Sally set out all the things in her house. She arranged the plums and biscuits on some big leaves and bunches of flowers in a jam jar.
Sally was so pleased she didn’t want her secret house to be secret any more!
It's National Stationery Week - yes it really is a thing; 15-21 May. We have some stunning Moleskine products starting at £6. Plus some fun vintage items. Go next door to
@2ndfloorchester
for a fantastic range of cards and stationery.
#NatStatWeek
This Small Business Saturday is a great day to visit Amblongus Books and our neighbours The 2nd Floor. Keep on walking through the Northgate, past the Bluecoat, and you'll find us both on the left.
Happy
#CheshireDay
from the bookshop. As it's raining, why not come into the warm and dry of the bookshop to shop Cheshire books for when the weather improves?
@VisitCheshire
If you don't see what you are looking for in the bookshop, it's always worth asking. Earlier this week a customer was looking for books on Gladstone and we found this selection in our storage.
#Victorian
#vintagebook
@gladlib
Sam regularly pops into the bookshop and it is always great to see her. She is an ally to local businesses and she believes in the importance of the arts to our culture and economy, both locally and nationally.
#booksareforeveryone
A year ago today, I had the honour of becoming the Member of Parliament for the City of Chester.
Since then, I have focused hard on making sure everything I do supports people living here in Chester.
Happy Burns night. The Scottish themed window display has brought lots of customers into the shop to buy books today. If you're going to a Burns night event later this week why not take your own copy of Burns poetry, or another beautiful book about
#Scotland
?
#BurnsNight
#party
It must be because it is
#NationalReadABookDay
that the £1.50 fiction is flying off the shelves. Don't worry, there's plenty more for restocking (and we do mail order).
#paperback
#Bargain
It's a lovely sunny morning for a graduation. Today only there is 20% off in the bookshop for any graduand/graduate in
@uochester
robes.
#Congratulations
to you all!
We are doing an experimental Sunday opening session today 12.30 - 3.30. We are dog-friendly (but always check that other customers are ok with dogs too). Come along for some relaxed Mothering Sunday book-buying.
#MothersDay
#BooksWorthReading
@andyscargill
@psyske
@Go_CheshireWest
@SamanthaDixonMP
@Councillor2023
Yes, well done Sam & the local councillors who turned up, and well done the farmers. But the BIG problem here is that the entire infrastructure of the UK is in major decline. Don't pretend this is about local councils; this is about 13 years of destruction of public services.
@BenWalkerUK
@ShitChester
That's all very well, but why is it the responsibility of local businesses and individuals to solve the housing crisis? Shouldn't we have a government that believes housing is a human right and designs policy that enshrines this?
Very happy to have passed ££ on to
@shareshopsuk
today having sold books on their behalf and received donations. There are still some interesting ones left!
#StandWithUkraine
We have a weekly break-even sales figure. Not a big-profit figure but what we need to keep going. Since we opened the business at the start of the year we've bobbed along just above it, but in the 5 weeks since
@trussliz
was PM we've only passed it once.
By £5.65.
#antigrowth
The bookshop is closed this Saturday 8 January. Generally opening times will be Tuesday to Saturday 9-5.30. Look out for a launch event later this month which will be respecting the premises previous 20 years as an upholstery workshop
#chairs
#midcentury
Someone earning a million £££s a year will have an extra £54,400 in their pockets. The equivalent for someone earning £25,000pa is £280. We don't see many millionaires in the bookshop so it's a good thing we have books starting at 50p (and free ones when the sun shines)
To coincide with
@chesterherifest
we have a collection of Chester local interest books, plus vintage maps and pamphlets, on display. Prices start from £1 and there are also rarer materials which were produced in small print runs and are now hard to find. Come and take a look 📚
Today is the day and the 🌞is shining! We can't wait to see you all at our events over the next 10 days! If you go to any events please share your pics with us and use
#chesterheritagefestival
so we can see what you've been enjoying.
Tatty copy just gone from our free books box outside. Our free books don't represent what is inside the shop, but there are often interesting classics lurking amongst the weird stuff🧐
(Come inside if you want a better selection; prices start from 50p.)
‘All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.’
Animal Farm by George Orwell, first published
#OnThisDay
in 1945
#WednesdayWisdom