@NewhamBookshop
15 December — Two weeks into December, and most of our new Bookshop at 743 Barking Road is ready to welcome you. Nearly all of the bookshelves are in place and full of books. There’s still a lot of work to do, and we will continue to work hard to get everything done in the next week or two. We’ve extended the deadline for our Crowdfunder page until Friday 21 December, and you can make donations in person at any time. We still need your help to reach our fundraising target of £25,000. Here are the latest pictures of the new shop taking shape.
East End artist Doreen Fletcher has kindly donated editioned prints of two of her paintings to Newham Bookshop. They will be auctioned at the event at The Wanstead Tap next Tuesday, 18 December, when Doreen Fletcher will be in conversation with The Gentle Author.
The proceeds of the auction will go towards our Two Doors Down fundraising campaign. Bids will start at £125. The two prints are Pubali Cafe and Corner Shop.
During November, our contractors have worked hard to transform 743 Barking Road from the state it was in (shown in these photos) to the new shop that is now being fitted out.
One important task was the reinstatement of the archway between 743 and the Children’s Bookshop in 745. This was bricked up several years ago (left) but it is now replastered and repainted (right).
We have had a false (suspended) ceiling fitted to incorporate low-energy lighting units and an air conditioning heating/
cooling system. We hope you agree that this gives 743 a modern, neat look.
We’ve had new flooring put down and then started to put the bookshelves in place.
Booksellers Etta Levi-Smythe and John Newman are putting the books in place on the shelves moved from 747.
Come and visit the Bookshop to see how the new shop is developing. We’ll put some more pictures here as the work continues.
We need more donations to help us reach our fundraising target of £25,000. Please visit our Crowdfunder page to make your pledge, or make a donation in person at the Bookshop or at one of our events. You can also send us cheques by post, payable to Newham Bookshop. You will get a reward for your generosity however you donate.
