Heygates bookshop will be moving into a new home this year

Heygates Bookshop will be leaving it’s current location at High Street for bigger premises in the station.
Shelves of potential: Heygates bookshop owner Jason Passingham wants to make this a 'destination bookshop',Shelves of potential: Heygates bookshop owner Jason Passingham wants to make this a 'destination bookshop',
Shelves of potential: Heygates bookshop owner Jason Passingham wants to make this a 'destination bookshop',

The used bookshop will move into the ground floor of the clock tower, a grade 2 listed property has been unoccupied for several years. Dates for the move are still being confirmed, but owner Jason Passingham who took over the shop in 2017, says he hopes to have moved in for the summer.

For Mr Passingham, the move has been a long time coming.

“We’d been looking for somewhere for a while, but it was always about finding the right location,” he said. “It was about finding somewhere that had character, that evoked a feeling.”

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That atmosphere was important for Mr Passingham, who said he wants to make Heygates a comprehensive visitor experience, a ‘destination bookshop’ that people might travel to visit.

“I’m hoping it’s going to help not just myself, but also the town as a collective.”

In pursuit of that vision, Mr Passingham hopes to introduce ‘instagrammable’ oversized features designed to emphasise the building’s character and scale.

The new venue also comes with an outside area, which Mr Passingham hopes to use for pleasant outdoor readings.

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“It will look so different to what people have been used to for the last fifty years. So different. But it’s a good thing,” he said.

Until the moving date, Heygates bookshop will be open in its old location on April 12.

To find out more about the used bookshop and it’s unique part exchange pricing model, visit the Heygates Bookshop facebook page.