New bookshop needs you

EDINBURGH COMMUNITY Bookshop, due to open in October, is a new project in Leith selling donated second-hand books to raise funds for local charities.

The bookshop is being set up by local businessman, Alasdair Corbett, also the owner of Easter Greens, a vegan grocery store on Easter Road. The shop will be run mostly by volunteers, supported by a paid shop manager, and will rely on donations of books from the public. Each month the shop will support a different local charity by donating most of its profits directly to them.

Over the last few months Alasdair has been raising money through a GoFundMe campaign and has now secured premises on Great Junction Street to set up the shop. It has already been fitted out, with volunteers helping to build and install the 36 bookcases. Tables and chairs have been set up too as the bookshop will also be serving teas, coffee and vegan pastries from local supplier Breadwinner Bakery.

POSITIVE REACTION

Announcing the new location for the bookshop on Twitter there was a lot of excitement with the tweet receiving over 300 likes and users commenting things like “Ooh yay!” and “Great news.” Another user commented that “a community bookshop is something that Leith really needs”.

Now that the refurb is more or less complete, the next stage is to get enough books to fill the shop after it opens.

Alasdair is asking people in Edinburgh to donate their books to the shop during September so that when they open they can raise as much money as possible for their first charity of the month. And they have chosen Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity as the initial beneficiary.

You can donate your books by dropping them off at the shop most days between 10am-4pm. Call them first on 0131 378 5589 to make sure someone is there.

Address: 179-181 Great Junction Street, Edinburgh EH6 5LQ www.edinburghcommunitybookshop.org