Old Pier Bookshop: Inside Morecambe's oldest book shop - an Aladdin's Cave where you can get lost
Meet the owner of Morecambe's oldest - and only - bookshop which gets described as a Tardis or an ‘Aladdin’s Cave’ crammed with old books.
The Old Pier Bookshop opened in 1990, and is now crammed floor to ceiling with books including many over 50 years old.
A trip through time
Walking into the shop on Marine Road Central is like taking a trip through time. The aisles are narrow, the shelves appear disorganised and the ceiling and bookshelf ends are filled with old memorabilia and curios - from film posters to taxidermy.
Shelves are arranged roughly into genres, and lined with second-hand books that look satisfyingly weathered.
Hard-to-find books
The Morecambe store is filled with hidden gems and hard-to-find titles including books that have gone out of print.
It has been a bookshop for 35 years - but the building has been in the family since the 60s.
Owner, Tony Vettesse, explains: “I feel as though the shop is a living being, I’m just feeding it and looking after it. It’s developed its own personality.”
‘Tardis’ filled with books
The busiest sections are the sci-fi, fantasy and crime shelves. Although the shop is loosely organised into sections, the books are not alphabetised in any order or arranged by author.
‘Eee what a lot of books’
On Facebook and Trip Advisor, the store gets described as a ‘Tardis’ and an ‘Aladdin’s Cave’.
Tony adds: “My favourite is ‘eee what a lot of books’. You can get lost in here, go down one of these aisles and the sound disappears from outside.”
Family business
As a youngster, Tony Vettesse’s parents owned the building, which was run as a café and chip shop.
But when Tony gradually began introducing books into the shop, his mum suggested he turn it into a bookshop.
Tony grew up in an ‘almost illiterate’ household - but a teacher introduced him to reading and he was hooked. He adds: “Growing up I wanted a book store. It was my lifetime ambition and dream, and I never thought I’d get the chance to realise it.”
Watch the video above for a look inside The Old Pier Bookshop.