Chapter One Books

Situated in the heart of urban Manchester, this family-run bookshop uses its quirky charm to promote reading and its “love affair for great literature in a time of economic crisis for booksellers”.

Hoping to invigorate the demand for bookshops, Chapter One Books opened in 2016 with the hope of steadying the evident decline in bookshop demand. The shop is accompanied by a café boasting a tranquil environment that’s perfect to sit back in and enjoy reading, coffee and friends. The cafe offers a selection of books that you can read without purchasing and simply enjoy whilst indulging in the wide selection of drinks and cakes. The shop’s website also offers an online shopping service for those busy bookworms who don’t have the time to shop in-store.

“When I open a book to Chapter One, and read that first opening line I get a little magical tingle, and it rings true that ‘Books are a sort of portable magic’. Thanks Stephen King! There’s a sort of magic in the air, the possibilities of all those worlds to discover, bookshops are almost like time and place travel machines,” – Christine, co-owner of Chapter One.