New outlet opens for Atherstone Booktown.

In the latest development in the Atherstone Booktown story, Atherstone College has thrown it’s weight behind the initiative by opening the fifth second-hand bookshop in the town.

In an opening ceremony on Wednesday 7th March, the college refectory on the Ratcliffe Road site will be officially renamed ‘The Booktown Bistro’, and while continuing to serve its renowned high quality meals to students and shoppers, will also stock a range of books tailored to their interests. Sandra Willis, booklover and manager of the Booktown Bistro, said that she was delighted to be part of the Booktown project:

We feel that as part of the local community we want to support the Booktown and to be part of its success. We also wanted to give something  extra to our existing and future customers.

The Booktown Bistro will be officially opened by John Burton, local historian and Chair of The George Eliot Fellowship at 6.00pm on Wednesday 7th March. He will also give a short talk on the 150th anniversary of the publication of Eliot’s Scenes from a Clerical Life, outlining their plans for celebrations in the local area, which will include the distribution of free copies of the book to local reading groups. Sandra Willis said:

It is a great honour to be connected with the celebrations of the George Eliot     Fellowship. We want to use the Booktown Bistro to host similar events in the     future that will assist everyone concerned with the Booktown endeavour.

Ian Butler, proprietor of Butler’s Book Emporium, who has led the development of The Booktown Bistro, said that he and the town’s other booksellers were delighted  when they heard Sandra’s idea:

When Sandra and her team approached us about setting up the Booktown     Bistro, we realised that it was a strong sign of the support we have in the     local community. This is a great step forward for the Booktown project, and     we hope that other local businesses will look at this and think about how     they can integrate themselves with what we’re doing. We’re essentially a     tourism or visitor-facing business – it’s all about getting people to come into     Atherstone and spend money – and the more places to buy books the better for     all of us.

he Booktown Bistro is located in Atherstone College on Ratcliffe Road, Atherstone.
Opening hours 8.30am-9pm Mon-Fri (closed at 3.30pm on Friday).
Tel: 01827 718356.

Anyone wishing to attend the opening is asked to call Ian Butler on 01827 717104 for their free tickets.