Westbourne - a Haven for Independent Businesses First-time visitors to Westbourne often comment on how lovely it is to find so many individual shops all in one place, and as the owner of one of those individual, independent shops, we’re proud to be part of such a vibrant community. The first shops arrived in the growing ‘village’ of Westbourne in the late nineteenth century, with the famous Arcade opening in 1885. As the nineteenth century ended and the twentieth began, the houses which stretched around the crescent of Seamoor Road were converted or replaced with shops and living space above. Likewise, the stretch of Poole Road which joins either end of Seamoor Road filled with small shops, and that is largely how both streets have remained, making the
shop sizes perfect for independent businesses.
2016 to restore the high ceilings and the feel of a classic English bookshop.
When our family business took over Westbourne Bookshop in the summer of 2015, we were delighted to find a community which could still support a thriving example of what many people thought of as a ‘dying trade’. Bookshops need areas with a strong sense of identity and a pride in their individuality in order to survive, and Westbourne has that in spades!
Even if you’re familiar with the area, it’s worth taking time to wander around and look more closely at the independent shops and the buildings in which they sit – every building and business tells a story of its own. The Arcade is rightly famous, but also along Poole Road you’ll find one of the oldest shop fronts in Bournemouth, now a delightful gallery. As you stroll around you’ll find cafes, restaurants, gift shops, shoe shops, fashion emporiums and independent food stores all in just this one small patch of Bournemouth – the charming Urban Village of Westbourne!
Our own shop was built in 1903 as part of Grand Parade. The first shop to take up residence was Straken & Co, a stationer and bookseller. In the 1950s it became a branch of WH Smith and apart from a short spell in the 1980s it has remained a bookshop ever since, renovated in
Paul Angel
th
Westbourne Bookshop | 65 Poole Road | Westbourne | Bournemouth | BH4 9BA 01202 768626 | books@westbournebookshop.co.uk | @westbournebookshop 44
