New city of culture has ‘world’s best bookshop’ in an old wool exchange
BRADFORD IS not only the UK’s next City of Culture, it has, according to many locals and visitors, the world’s best bookshop.
The Waterstones branch on the old trading floor of the city’s magnificent Wool Exchange cropped up numerous times as an asset and a hidden gem after last month’s City of Culture announcement.
It opened in 1996, a good 30 years after wool trading ended in the 1960s, after a period in which the Venetian Gothic building had been used sporadically as a market and music venue.
Store manager Ian Oldfield said: “The mass market approach in the past didn’t work.
“Since 2014, it’s been locally driven and stock reflects the community.
“In Bradford it’s absolutely everything – from weighty tomes on serious history to biographies of local sports stars.”
The shop now has an expanded music section to serve a musical city, and the proximity to the countryside sees high demand for nature titles.
Local authors are well supported and there are still healthy sales of the works of the district’s famous literary sons and daughters, such as the
Brontë sisters and the playwright J B Priestley.
Contemporary writers work with the shop to hold launch events and signings.
Mr Oldfield said: “We’ve had a few famous customers – Rob Brydon was in the other day and Derren Brown comes in for a coffee.
“We hope David Hockney might have popped in at some point!
“Performers playing in the city often come in but it can be a bit blink and you miss ‘em.”
Since 2014, it’s been locally driven, stock reflects the community. Ian Oldfield, manager of Bradford Waterstones.