This astonishing bookstore/café spills over three levels, each one lined with a veritable library of second-hand books. Take your coffee and (excellent) breakfast or lunch on the Oxford St level before descending the rickety stairs to the cave-like basement with its sparkling chandelier and cavernous, book-lined atmosphere. Or head back up stairs to the level-one reading room with its little aspect over the street. Ampersand is completely charming.
Ariel has been a Paddington institution since 1985, and in 2021 it found a new home in a central location on Oxford St, near William St. Head in for a wonderful selection of fiction, non-fiction, travel, cookbooks, children’s literature, magazines and plenty more.
The Berkelouw family has traded in books for six generations, the story beginning in Holland in 1812. This landmark Paddington bookstore opened in 1994 and with three floors of new and second-hand books, plus gifts, cards and an on-site cafe-wine bar, you can easily spend many pleasant hours here.
‘Humble paperboy’ Andrew Packham has reimagined the traditional newsagency into something fresh and vibrant at this quaint paper emporium. Find leading stationery brands including Traveler’s Company Japan, Midori MD and Leuchtturm1917 and pick up the latest international and specialist publications from around the world. Head upstairs to find the work of 11 local card makers.