Ginny Sealey opens new bookshop in Helston: opening times

Behind it is Ginny Sealey, from Ruan Minor, who is fulfilling a childhood dream of opening her own bookshop.

Called ‘The Bookshop in Helston’, it opened today (Saturday) at 77 Meneage Street, next door to The Lady Eve Vintage and in the same run of shops that includes Gilchrist Exotics and Daisy Chain.

Despite so far keeping the publicity to largely word-of-mouth and three posts on Instagram, the shop was full of customers from the moment it opened at midday, with Ginny describing the opening day as “amazing.”

She told the Packet: “It’s been wonderful. I’ve lived on the Lizard for 20-odd years and always wanted to open a bookshop ever since I was a child.

“Helston has so many things going on and I always wondered while it didn’t have a dedicated bookshop.”

The shop saw a busy opening day (Image: Emma Ferguson/NQ)

Many will know Ginny for working in admin at Coverack School and as a teaching assistant at Mullion School, although for the last few years she has been working in a university in Saudi Arabia.

Now back home in Cornwall, and with her children at university themselves, she has more time to finally achieve her bookshop ambition – although it has been something of a whirlwind getting it open.

She received an email that the shop was available to rent on the same day that she finished her last job. Picking up the keys on October 1, it has been seven weeks of hard work to get shop refitted and decorated – something she said she only achieved thanks to a huge amount of support from family and friends.

“I’ve had a lot of help from a lot of people – my children, friends and family. It’s been an incredible team effort,” she added.

With the shop windows covered up to maintain the surprise, the secret was finally out at the end of this week when the shop sign went up, designed by Suzy Currell of Muddy Creek Signs in Constantine, who also created the nearby Natural Store’s signage.

“She just got completely what I wanted,” said Ginny, who added: “The idea was just to make it friendly and welcoming.”

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An avid reader as a child, Ginny hopes to share her passion for books with others.

“It’s the door to other worlds,” she said. “For me, books that have been given are emblems of love. There are books I took everywhere because of the person that gave them to me.

“As Dr Seuss says, it’s the places you can go when you read – you don’t have to get off the sofa but you’re walking in other people’s footsteps and seeing other worlds.

“And now there’s more recognition that reading isn’t just text, it can be graphic novels – not just the typed word with no pictures. It’s become a lot more accessible.”

There is a dedicated children's section complete with 'egg' chair (Image: Emma Ferguson/NQ)

Ginny acknowledges that she’s just setting up, and despite doing a huge amount of research on what books to put on the shelves she is only too happy for customers to say what they would like stocked.

“It’s an evolving thing; I had to start somewhere,” she added, saying she is also happy to try and source a particular book that someone may not be able to find anywhere else.

Currently stocked are books ranging from history, travel guides and sci fi/fantasy, to general fiction.

There is also a section related to Cornwall, a section for Christmas and a shelf of books signed by authors, from TV-comedian turned author David Mitchell to local author Jenny Steele Scolding, as well as an area dedicated to children’s books – complete with an ‘egg’ chair to sit in and test some out.

“I want people to feel they can come in and sit – it’s about enjoying the space. I don’t want people to think they can’t come in as they don’t want to buy a book,” said Ginny.

The Bookshop in Helston will be open Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 4pm, and will take book tokens and gift vouchers, will “definitely be taking part in World Book Day” and there are plans to hold author events and readings going forward.