Where? Sofia, Bulgaria
Recommended by Kris from Sofia
Kris said: "Elephant Bookstore (no relation to Barcelona's Elephant Books, apparently - which I sadly never managed to visit) is a newly opened second-hand English bookstore in Sofia. Located in the arty Tea House, this small bookstore is charm itself. You have to go through the actual tea house, past the bar and into a blue corridor. And there it is: a single tiny room, overflowing with books and warmth. Immediately the urge to dive in is irresistible and you are almost always certain to come out with an unexpected treasure in your grasp. What it lacks in floor space it makes up in height, with books climbing and shoring up the ceiling itself. The books are strictly second-hand and strictly in English. This means that prices on offer are very friendly (generally between the 2-4 € range). Despite its humble size, the bookstore has admirable diversity, including some quality non-fiction and modern literature books, which are otherwise nearly impossible to find in Sofia (and even if you do, they would be at least three times the price)."
The services of The Elephant Bookstore are not limited to Sofia. They engage all their fans on their Facebook site and more importantly, also offer the possibility to order books online through their website, which are delivered all over Bulgaria at a very reasonable shipping price. The bookstore is run by two people, Max Breeds, an English expat in Bulgaria since 2005 and Antonia Tosheva, a local enthusiast of the English literature and language, which seems to be just the right combination. They opened The Elephant Bookstore in Sofia in December of 2011, after already having acquired some experience with running the first Elephant Bookstore in the town of Yablanitsa, 80 km east of Sofia. However, beware - they have moved to another location within Sofia in 2013. They are now located in Tsar Shishman street (see map below.)
Although this bookstore is far from huge, the stock of ca. 10 thousand books makes it the undisputed top source of books in English in Bulgaria and perhaps even beyond. The bookstore seems to fit perfectly within the Tea House and will surely make the visitors stay longer. Another advantage of this combination is the long working hours, so you can drop by after work for a cup of tea and some browsing without any rush. Judging by the enthusiastic online reactions a bookstore of this kind is what many people in Sofia have been longing for and the fact that The Elephant Bookstore provides a quality selection of titles in English at accessible prices in a very charming location proves that good things are really worth waiting for.
The services of The Elephant Bookstore are not limited to Sofia. They engage all their fans on their Facebook site and more importantly, also offer the possibility to order books online through their website, which are delivered all over Bulgaria at a very reasonable shipping price. The bookstore is run by two people, Max Breeds, an English expat in Bulgaria since 2005 and Antonia Tosheva, a local enthusiast of the English literature and language, which seems to be just the right combination. They opened The Elephant Bookstore in Sofia in December of 2011, after already having acquired some experience with running the first Elephant Bookstore in the town of Yablanitsa, 80 km east of Sofia. However, beware - they have moved to another location within Sofia in 2013. They are now located in Tsar Shishman street (see map below.)
Although this bookstore is far from huge, the stock of ca. 10 thousand books makes it the undisputed top source of books in English in Bulgaria and perhaps even beyond. The bookstore seems to fit perfectly within the Tea House and will surely make the visitors stay longer. Another advantage of this combination is the long working hours, so you can drop by after work for a cup of tea and some browsing without any rush. Judging by the enthusiastic online reactions a bookstore of this kind is what many people in Sofia have been longing for and the fact that The Elephant Bookstore provides a quality selection of titles in English at accessible prices in a very charming location proves that good things are really worth waiting for.
Address:Elephant Bookstore
Tsar Shishman 31
Sofia 1000
Bulgaria
Website: http://elephantbookstore.com
Phone and Email:
Max +359 (0)885 902 913
Antonina +359 (0)887 607 471
Matt +359 (0)886 373 851
elephantbookshop@gmail.com
Working Hours:
Tue-Fri 12-21
Sat-Sun 11-20
View Elephant Bookstore in a larger map
1 comment:
the bookshop moved a couple of years ago - the new address is given correctly but the textual description applies to the old location - entrance is now directly from the street in a much more central location.
I always want to order from local independent bookshops but was disappointed in this case when they were unable to supply any of the the dozen books whose titles I had seen on Amazon and given to them for purchase....
But it's a delightful place to browse - if still a bit cramped.....
Ronald Young
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