London Bookshop Advent – Day 8
This established Chelsea bookshop has three doors but only one of them opens. The other two are blocked by piles of books. This is in keeping with all three floors of John Sandoe which is packed to the rafters with books of all genres gently rubbins shoulders withe each other .
John Sandoe is an old favourite and a lovey way to escape the hustle and bustle of the Kings Road. It can feel little bit of jumbled until you become accustomed to the layout. As I said there really are books just everywhere. The fiction is on the first floor. It took me a while of looking for an author I couldn’t find to realise that there are shelves hidden behind shelves, you simply have to move them to discover them. The basement is another discovery and is accessed via a tiny almost hidden staircase. Here are all the childrens books and poetry too. There are many discoveries to be found and I think it is often best not to go with a specific purpose but to go with the intention of browsing. Although should you want to be a little more intentional they do have a great catalogue of books on their website so always worth checking.
On the first floor there are some very handy window seats where you can pause to peruse possible purchases whilst gazing idley down on the street below of course. The booksellers are friendly and knowledgeable but tend not to interrupt browsing unless specific help is required.
There is also a bookshop podcast wherre a variety of interesting authors are interveiwed. This is worth a listen if you are a bookish podcast fan.
Go with an open mind and expect the unexpected at John Sandoe. There really is something for everyone here.
Nearest Tube: Sloane Square
