Have you been to the oldest independent bookshop within the North West of England?

FOUNDED in 1920, by Charles Broadhurst, has become the oldest independent bookshop within the North West, of England. Broadhursts of Southport Ltd. is still in the same place and sells:- new, 2nd hand and antiquarian books, including some very rare books. The books are displayed over 3 floors, which includes a dedicated children's book room. That's not forgetting 2 rare book rooms specialising in both 19th and 20th Century literature, modern 1st editions, private press books and more. With with thousands of books on most subjects, from fiction to non-fiction, it offers a true treasure trove for book lovers. This is an often overlooked historical location within Southport's Town Centro that is an amazing place to visit for both tourists and locals alike.

We have had the privilege of interviewing the current owner Laurie Hardman, who has been working at the shop since 1968.

You can watch the video on here and on our YouTube Channel, or you can read the transcript below.

If you would like to see this venue, it is located on Market Street, Southport. (PR81HD)

For more information you can visit the shop's website at:- CKBroadhurst.Co.UK.

The transcribed interview with Laurie Hardman and our Editor, Patrick Trollope:-

► Question:- "Can I get you to introduce yourself, please?"

► The owner Laurie Hardman, responds:- "Yes. My name is Laurie Hardman, and I'm the owner of Reuters of Southport limited. bookshop."

► Question:- "Now are you the oldest bookshop in Southport?"

► The owner Laurie Hardman, responds:- "We are by a longer by a long mile. Yes. In fact, we're the only second hand bookshop in Southport. And one of the very few booksellers in the country to be selling new and second hand and rare and collectible books."

► Question:- "Now coming in here, you can actually touch feel the books and see the books and smell the books as well, which is you can't get on the internet."

► The owner Laurie Hardman, responds:- "That's true. Yeah."

► Question:- "How has it altered over the years the building?"

► The owner Laurie Hardman, responds:- "It's hardly altered at all, because it was built as domestic property in the in the late 1880s. And it became a bookshop in 1920. All that we had, when Charles brought us open the business in 1920 was the front of the shop downstairs. The back of the shop was an insurance office. And upstairs here they were bed sets and flats. The room in which we are now sitting, was occupied by a clairvoyant who operated under the name of Madame Gladys. And she used to read palms, and for six months, I think it was and read teacups for six months or so. And then if you really wanted your fortune teller, she had a crystal ball, which she charges a shilling for Gladys."

► Question:- "So who famous have you had in?"

► The owner Laurie Hardman, responds:- "Well, I once upon a time, before the before the Second World War, we used to run literally lunches, the Prince of Wales and South Bob. So we used to get a lot of authors coming up to do talks. People like HG Wells, John Masefield, people who are big names in their day. But lastly, I suppose that the most famous person we've had in the shop has been Johnny Cash. This was going back probably about 25 years ago now. Johnny Cash was very, very interested in American, American Indian American indigenous population of Indian. And he had an enormous collection of books on the subject. And one day, the door opened, and this this chuck came on his own, just wandered into the shop and said, Have you got any books on American Indians? And he was talking to Charles process. Coming, Charles brought us wouldn't have known Johnny Cash if he'd fallen over him, but I recognized him straight away. As it's happened, about two weeks previously, we would balk, which is probably one of the finest sets of books on the American Indian in existence by an author called Caitlyn, and it was folio, folio size set for volumes, beautifully bound, illustrated with ham, ham, cold and ham colored plates. I'm coming to the station. So I said, Well, yeah, I said, we've just bought this this set. Caitlin's. Caitlin's American Indian. And he said, Oh, can I have a look at it? Yep, sure. showed it to him. I'll have it didn't even ask the price, which was quite a lot of money in those days. And that was it. We shipped them over to America for him. And he stayed. He stayed a customer for a long, long time."

► Question:- "Who modern have you had in? Have you had any footballers?"

► The owner Laurie Hardman, responds:- "Yeah, we we have prior to the pandemic. We have quite a lot of Liverpool and Everton football just come in, you know, with Monday written written books on biography autobiography what's happening. But we also had Dave Rouse, who you might remember played Darth Vader. Very tall man, very imposing man. Didn't speak at all like Darth Vader when he came in the shop. Very soft spoken. But of course, without the cloaking the hell but nobody would recognize him. So we said, Darth Vader has been in the shop, as he, yeah, that chap over there, knocked off Vader. Yes, that's the kind of play Darth Vader was Dave perhaps, gosh. Who else we had? Probably the guy who who gave most satisfaction would be Terry Pratchett, because he was exactly what you would expect. He came up three o'clock in the afternoon. He flew into Woodvale and drove up to the shop with his with his minder started signing at three o'clock, and he signed solidly from three o'clock in the afternoon, to half past eight at night. And we kept him going with coffee and sushi. And he was a very happy man spoke to everybody that is saleable, but it wasn't just, you know, thank you very much. Thank you very much. You made a point of speaking to everybody that brought the book in really, really nice man. And he was due to do another signing for me, because he liked the shop so much. Unfortunately, it was just after he'd been diagnosed. And as time went on, his health wouldn't allow him to do any more signings. So we had to put it with Michael Palin instead. Who came twice. And again, it was exactly what you would expect he is exactly as you see him on the television. Very nice man, very relaxed, very easy to talk to. Interested in the people that brought the books in for him aside and asked why they'd come. And it was quite surreal. Because the night before he came to do the signing, I'll be watching him on the television on on one of his travel programs. So I was looking at the on television last night, rounding up horses. So those are two are probably the most famous ones. One of the most entertaining ones I have is Brian blesser, who came in just before boomed in just before he was due to climb Everest. His he is actually shorter than you would you would think, in real life. But very what very much wider and a very definite presence. So he looked at me, so who put you on stilts? You're very tall. So I'm the owner. I wonderful shop you've got here. You might know this. I'm going to climb Everest. You've got any books on mountain climbing. I don't know how I'm going to get up there. So I need a book. happened. I had two quite scarce books on on Everest, one for the 1933 expedition, and another one for the 28th. And he bought both of them. And Wonderful, wonderful. Yes. I'll read these and now they'll help me get back. So he went on his way. Booming off down the Market Streets are very happy man. Who else Chris riddle, the illustrator and cartoonist to who does the political cartoons for the observer. He again, exactly as you would expect, very easy to talk to. Very, very nice man. And Joseph Delaney."

► Question:- "How has the market changed with the advent of the Internet; has it made it harder?"

► The owner Laurie Hardman, responds:- "Not really. It's made it more difficult in some respects in that once upon a time. With second handbooks, you would buy just about anything these days with the with the internet law value books, there's no point in buying them, because you can get them off the internet. Um, shelf space is expensive. So we're very much more selective these days. The upside of it is that it has made much clearer what's rare and what's not rare. Because in the old days, booksellers might see a particular book three times in a year. Now, the internet, you click on that title, and there's about 200 copies of the wretched thing on online. So it's not that rare, after all. So it's, it's really it's brought prices down. Whilst being the most stable book find. You get it? Well, a lot of unexpected things. I suppose. Several years ago, I was at an auction. It was a country auction. And I'd gone there with no grace expectations. Because the the books were sold in Job lots in boxes. But there are a lot of there's a lot of modern literature, modern first editions there. And I thought I'll go and see what's what's here. But by and large, it wasn't, it wasn't up too much. And then, towards the end of the auction, I thought, well, I don't buy something. So I liked it on this, this box of books. The the top ones look vaguely interesting. So I thought well, but I'll bid on this and got a box for 10 quid, brought it back to the shop in the van and forgot all about it. And then about six months later, dug it out of the stockroom and thought we're gonna go through this box of rubbish. And at the hat, at the bottom, almost at the bottom of the box, I saw a gray and pink distractor. And I thought now that looks looks like Casino Royale. And of course it can't be. But in fact, yes, it was. It was math alone. It won't be a first edition. Open this up. Yes, it was. It was an absolutely meant copy of this, of Ian Fleming's first James Bond book because he writes Casino Royale which is the scarcest of all the inflaming bond books. So that was a very pleasant surprise. And I sold it to an American collector a couple of days later, for quite a large amount of money. So the 10 Bob Oxford books was was worth it."

► Question:- "Are their any specific books that you're personally interested in any; any genres?"

► The owner Laurie Hardman, responds:- "Not really, when I started off in book selling, because I used to collect books to collect modern first editions. But then Charles, Charles Broadhurst, you said no, he said that you shouldn't really collect. And he said, because you'll end up keeping all the best things for yourself. And that will make you a good dealer. So I really stopped collecting books. I'm gonna have a wide interest. I read a lot of history, a lot of political history, a lot of military history. Those, I suppose in my real interests these days, but I don't collect per say."

► Question:- "Do you regret not collecting?"

► The owner Laurie Hardman, responds:- "No, not at all? No, because you're surrounded by surrounded by books. I've very rarely regret selling a book. Because generally speaking, if I really want it, I can find it somewhere else I can I can look back and find it again. The general there have been rarities that I've sold that I know I will never ever see again put in the bank. No, I've never regretted stuff."

► Question:- "So what has been your opinion of the internet in general? Do you think it's a good thing for books?"

► The owner Laurie Hardman, responds:- "Oh, yes, I know. That's concerned. Absolutely not. I mean, you can sell stuff on the internet that will just mold her into dust on the shelf and put it in the shop. You know, the most esoteric subjects, somewhere, put it up on the internet. Somebody who buys provided to prices is reasonable. So no, I think it's a great thing."

► Question:- "Have you discovered anything unusual and interesting on the internet?"

► The owner Laurie Hardman, responds:- "Regarding books no Really no. Because I very rarely trawl the internet for books. Unless it's just something specific that that I want. Now I very rarely buy books off the internet. I sell a lot of books on the internet. But mainly the book sales come through the book purchase I'm sorry, come to the shop. People who contact us to the shop, bring lists in or and I buy from private customers. I buy not a great deal from the internet unless it's for a specific customer. I very rarely buy stock on the internet."

► Question:- "If anybody does want certainly think, how did they get until shared? Is it to say the shopping?"

► The owner Laurie Hardman, responds:- "Yep. Through the shop through our website through Google or Twitter or any of the any of the online portals basically. And word of mouth of course. Because as I say, We've been here for 102 years, so a lot of people know where we are."

► Question:- "Well, thank you. And here's for the next 102 years."

► The owner Laurie Hardman, responds:- "Thank you very much indeed."

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