{Edinburgh} Topping & Company Booksellers
I love a good bookshop, and Topping & Company claims to be the largest independent bookshop in Edinburgh (it’s part of an independent chain, with other have branches in Bath, Ely and St Andrews) and I have been wanting to check it out ever since it opened in late 2019. Then life happened, as we all know, and I never got round to it but earlier this week I finally made it there!
The entrance level looks pretty much like your standard bookshop, but once the sweeping staircase takes you to the upper floor, that’s when the wonder begins. Upstairs you will find a warren of interconnected rooms, each with a different genre, waiting to be explored. Floor to ceiling bookcases are equipped with rolling ladders, and of they don’t make you immediately want to make you live out your inner Belle from Beauty and the Beast then why are you even there!
The highlight for me was the room with the children’s books – even though I didn’t have either of my little bookworms with me, a good selection of children’s books always makes my heart sing and there was an abundance to choose from. No rolling ladders here, which is probably a wise choice, but a cosy sofa reading nook by the window inviting families to read together. I can’t wait to come back here with my boys!
Another feature I really love about Topping & Company is their complimentary tea & coffee I’d heard so much about. There’s plenty of little tables scattered around the books of the shop, where you can perch with a cup of brew and contemplate which book to buy. With so many choices, it’s hard to make up your mind!
Topping & Company also offer various subscriptions (though sadly no children’s ones), and a year round programme of events, and if you are looking for a gift for any grown-up book lovers in your life, “coffee with a bookseller” is their in-depth book consultation service where a literary consultation takes place over tea or coffee and biscuits in the bookshop. Find out more details on the Topping & Company website.
How to get there
Topping & Company Edinburgh is located on the corner of Blenheim Place and the top of Leith Walk. There are various Lothian buses that stop nearby on London Road and Leith Walk, as well as the tram at Picardy Place, all just a few minutes walk away.
