Right in the centre of the Godley Road block of shops sits the Green Bay Bookshop. Right by the bus stop, standing proud in green, although the battered sign has seen better days.
The building itself started out as a superette, before it was turned into a bookshop by Frances Cowan in the late 1960s. The store then sometimes also operated as a lending library.
In the late 1970s Peggy Higgins and her husband Len took over the shop and, over time, added all those little components that made it the cornucopia of needful things it is now: toys, greeting, cards, yarn, buttons, craft supplies … just to name a few. Between this shop and Hammer Hardware, there is nothing you cannot find in Green Bay, apart from clothing. I dare you.
Four and a half years ago, current owner, David Bannister, took on the shop. One of the chattels was Charlie, the resident cat, who preferred to stay in Green Bay, when his owners moved to Thames, and now divides his time between the various shops in the block and some residents’ homes.
While you won’t find the latest bestsellers at the Green Bay Book Shop, it specialises in the classics of adult and children’s fiction, but also accommodates seasonal and currents trends, reflected in the vast selection of adult colouring books now on offer. The shop might have the biggest selection and variety of magazines out West. Apart from the usual fare, you’ll find magazines on everything from Art and Photography over Writing to Automotive.
The shop also proudly supports local authors and people stop by for a chat or to pick up their regular magazine; a reflection of the village feel of this beautiful suburb.
Before David embarked on his adventure as a shop owner, he spent more than a decade working in IT. Looking for a change in pace, David, who grew up in Green Bay, found the perfect opportunity in this shop. And David does not do things by halves. Believe it or not, there is no computer to be found anywhere in the shop. Communication with the shop’s more than 100 suppliers is done using the good old phone. The only nod towards modern technology is a facebook page. Remotely operated, I assume.
Green Bay Bookshop is a much bigger shop miraculously fitted into a compact space. A Tardis of magazines, haberdashery and the classics. A multifaceted gem at the centre of Green Bay.
Come and visit.
Opening hours are 9 am – 6 pm Monday Friday and 9am – 1.30 pm Saturday.
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