Town's bike bookstore creates new chapter in the story of print

The shop-bike - based at Paper-works Books and Prints in the town's high street - will cycle downhill to Christ Church Hall to take part in First in the East on Thursday, September 9, at 7.45pm

The mobile store is the brainchild of shop owners Hugh and Lisa Davies who wanted to take their bookshop to events in the wider community.

They designed and built the roadworthy structure from plywood and high-performance resins. The bicycle trailer unfolds into a six- foot-high double-sided bookshop complete with a protective umbrella canopy. It can display more than 200 books and a selection of the shop's handmade prints.

Ms Davies said she was thrilled with it. "We are delighted that for our first trip out with the mobile bookshop we have been invited to the Two Rivers book festival event here in Lowestoft," she added.

Paper-works Books and Prints' new pedal-powered mobile bookstore on display outside the main store in Lowestoft (Image: Lisa Hurcrum)

First in the East will be chaired by Lowestoft-based publisher and ex-creative writing professor Martin Goodman and features publisher and Booker prize judge Liz Calder and Lowestoft producer Genevieve Christie who will be talking about Flipside, Full Circle books and the First Light festival. They are joined Nathan Hamilton, Full Circle’s new publisher at the University of East Anglia (UEA).

The festival runs until September 11. Details on www.waveneyandblytharts.com.

The Mobile Bookshop Bicycle will be at the Maritime Heritage Fair, South Pier, Lowestoft, on Saturday, September 11, and Clinks Care Farm open day, Toft Monks, on Sunday, September 12.

Paper-works Books and Prints was launched recently in the historic heart of Lowestoft and features a curated collection of second-hand fiction and non fiction as well as new titles by local authors.

The Two Rivers Book Festival is aimed at raising the profile of those who promote, protect, create and distribute books in the area through talks, workshops and walks hosted by guest speakers, bookshop owners, librarians and volunteers.