Would actually rate it zero if it was possible as my friend was discriminated against by the owner for her disability. I visited this shop with three friends about two weeks ago. One of them is visually impaired and has to use an app on her phone to support her with reading. Specifically, she has to scan the pages of the books she wishes to read and then listen to them as they are read to her through the app. It's a tedious process and it can take some time, but it allows her to check the content of a book before she decides to read it in full - As most if not all of us do, reading a couple of pages can help us get a feel of a book. So on the day, she chose a book my friend had told her the title of, and started scanning a page or two with her phone, waiting for the app to read them back to her. She did this right opposite the counter, so there wasn't anything that could look shifty about the all thing (you know, in case she'd wanted to scan the entire 500 pages of the book she was holding and leave without paying...) . What I believe is the owner of the shop then started intently looking at her and eventually said "can I ask you why you are taking pictures of the book?". His tone was rude, but as she is used to these kind of questions and allowing he might just be curious (as I did), she explained she is visually impaired and about the app she needs to use to read etc. To our disbelief the man, instead of understanding the situation, then said "well are you planning to buy the book?", maintaining a very rude tone and clearly still annoyed by my friend's need to scan pages. She calmly replied "I need to first understand what the book is about before I can decide whether to buy it or not. Is there a problem with that?". He did not reply. My friend was visibly upset by the owner's behavior, having made to feel incredibly uncomfortable over something she cannot control, so she put the book down and we all left. We will will never set foot in this shop again and I would actively discourage anyone to support this business, which is clearly run but an inconsiderate person, more interest in making a few pounds rather than ensuring his establishment is accessible and enjoyable by all. So much for local businesses supporting the local community - BookMongers is failing here, big time! Disgusting behaviour.
Best bookstore in town, hands down. A little gem with very friendly and helpful owners
Good independent bookstore with a strong selection of books (and a cat!). But a bookstore like this really should have customer toilets for those wanting to spend some time browsing.
I love places that resist the passing of time! Even as my friend and I were entering this old, second hand bookshop in Brixton, a grumpy carpenter was putting up a new door and frame to the shop front. There are a lot of books, but we were told that nothing was on a 'database' and we would have to browse by 'genre'.. perfectly reflecting the kind of bookshop we were in! This place must go back well into the early 70's, if not even earlier than this.
First time visiting this fantastic book shop today and will definitely be back! Great selection of books and the man serving couldnt have been more courteous. A rare find these days!
BookMongers is a UK Book Store based in Coldharbour, South East England. BookMongers is located at 439 Coldharbour Ln, Brixton, London SW9 8LN, UK.
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