Edinburgh Bookshop fundraiser reaches £17k with five days to go

A crowd-fund appeal by The Edinburgh Bookshop to support its move to bigger premises has reached more than £17,000 of its £50,000 goal.

Owner Marie Moser says in the fundraiser’s description: “We have outgrown our physical space both in terms of the busyness of the shop and in terms of having no admin or stockroom space from which to run it”, adding that the team plans to take over a “long-neglected” Oddbins site, but “don’t want to just add more bookshelves”.

Instead, it hopes to “create something magical where adults and children alike can immerse themselves in the wonder of books”.

“Moving to this site will allow us to simply do more. We will stock a greater range of titles, gain a separate children’s fiction room, have places to sit and read, and be able to hold most book events and book clubs in the heart of the shop,” Moser says.

A £250 donation offers the opportunity to become a character in Lin Anderson’s upcoming crime novel, due to be published next August, while £150 or more will see the donor’s name permanently placed on one of the chairs that will be used at book events. All donors will also be listed on The Edinburgh Bookshop website and on the "Supporters Window" on the new shop building.