Visit and read a while: Steadfast Books

A comfy chair, a peaceful warm environment, intelligent conversation and best of all books, books and more books.

Enter the world of Steadfast Books in Woolston, where owner Heath Ling is an unabashed bookworm.

Heath views himself as a curator and an historian, creating an ethical world for fellow booklovers. The shelves in his small corner shop are full to overflowing with all manner of genres, fact and fiction, vintage, and more recent publications.

“My biggest problem is space,” he laughs. “Not having enough.”

As well as books, some dating back to the 1800s, he offers a growing selection of DVDs, retro nick-nacks, ornaments and memorabilia, and, when needed, a knowledgable perspective and sympathetic advice. “It’s all about having happy customers,” he explains.

His regulars are not just older generations; younger readers often pop in looking for specific authors and/or genres. “I struggle to keep up with demand for George Orwell, for instance. It’s refreshing to see the quality of young customers and what they’re reading.”

Customers form his extended family; many returning frequently to stock up, indulge in a quiet read, a chat, and the occasional cuppa. That’s another reason he’d like more space – to offer an even larger book selection and maybe to create a few quiet writing pods. “I love to encourage writing as well as reading,” he adds.

Visit Steadfast Books at 372 Ferry Road, Woolston.