Brockwell Books of Chesterfield

from S40 Local - 135 March 2023

by Chesterfield Local

CFC

New to the Market Hall

Words: Ed Fordham

We must start with a thank you - the transition from outdoor market stall to indoor Shop Unit has not been easy but the support and encouragement from local shoppers has been just stunning. If you did a list of all of the commercial outlets that any self-respecting town should have, it is now clear to me that a second-hand Bookshop is on the list. A second-hand bookshop standing alongside with a Post Office, Butchers, Pub, Pet Food Store and a decent chippy. Chesterfield has many of these, but now can boast that it has once again a second-hand bookshop.

What does this actually mean? It tells visitors to the town that we value learning, reading, literature and the arts. It means we can be a place that values poetry, prose, research and the sheer erudite craft of authors and editors. It means that the skip or the bonfire need never again be the excuse of any probate estate.

Crucially, it means you have somewhere warm, reassuring and quirky to browse away a peaceful 2, 15 or 30 minutes perusing our shelves stuffed with books you didn’t know existed and didn’t realise you might want. Indeed, at Brockwell Books we pride ourselves on only stocking things that you really don’t need.

Everything we sell could be deemed unnecessarythe obscure or eccentric titles, the antiquarian book now a curio, the outdated manual for typewriters and much and many more... but that is the whole point. All of our lives are richer for peripheral knowledge and it is a cause we pride ourselves in championing. And we believe Chesterfield deserves a second-hand bookshop.

On that note we are also a place that seeks to be a part of the wider story of our town. We display a Paper Star as we are one of the many independent traders that Chesterfield showcases. We display a rainbow flag because we want everyone to know they are recognised, loved and welcomed in our shop and we have a Ukrainian flag to show our commitment to peace and justice.

We have an ‘On This Day’ clipboard on which we capture obscure but fun facts of when we are open, we pepper the bookshelves with paper ephemera, Dema Glass and Pearson’s Pottery and we also have an unlikely portfolio of coins for sale. In this regard we specialise in ancient Roman coins because that is my personal passion and previously my own collecting hobby.

There are other factors to the shop - but for nowwe are proud and happy to say thank you. If you haven’t found us yet, wander into town, the Market Hall is the huge and splendid 1857 municipal hall in the Market Square - and we are tucked down by the two excellent butchers: W Hodkin and R.B.Elliott & Son.

We seek to be open on the Town’s Market Days: Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturdays.

Any failings are almost certainly our own, and as a micro-business we simply can’t do all the things we need to do - so as we grow and evolve please bear with us. It’s been fun for the first six years and our transition from Open Air Market stall to indoor shop unit is a testament to your support, loyalty and custom. Here is to the future - and the next chapter of our story.