Independent book shop with special Pendle Witch section to open soon on this Lancashire high street
The shop will also host bookclubs, events, talks and workshops, with a long-term plan to use the first-floor area for refreshments.
A new, independent book shop - with a special focus on the Pendle Witches and local folklore - is coming to a high street near you.
Thistle and Thorn Books will open on July 17 in Castle Street, Clitheroe, with Stacey Halls (author of The Familiars about the Pendle Witches) officially opening the shop the next day.
Shop owner Lynzie Cotton, an ex-midwife, artist and writer, said: “It’s always something I’ve wanted to do. Then in August, when I’d turned 50, I was having a coffee and I started talking about how Clitheroe hasn’t got a book shop.”
Lynzie said the idea wouldn’t leave her mind, so she began looking for the right location - and found a Grade II-listed shop with views of Pendle Hill, which is now currently under renovation.
The shop, which will stock new books of all descriptions, will have an ‘enchanted’ interior created by a local mural artist, with a section dedicated to the Pendle Witches, folklore and myths, reflecting Lynzie’s passion for the subject, which began as a child.
It will also host bookclubs, events, talks and workshops, with a long-term plan to use the first-floor area for refreshments.
Lynzie added: “Thistle and Thorn will be warm and welcoming for every kind of reader — from the person who devours a book a week to the child who hasn't yet found their story, and everyone in between. Thistle & Thorn will be a place for classics and Booker Prize winners, for beautiful gifts and children's books, for folklore and nature writing — and yes, for a good dose of Pendle magic too.”
She added: “Clitheroe hasn't had a bookshop for a long while and the response we have had from the community so far has been astounding - we are so excited to bring some good news and a welcoming space to the town.
“People really do want to come into a bookshop and get recommendations, pick up books and smell them.”
Guardian columnist, Chris Moss, is also booked to come into the shop to tak about his new book in the week following launch.