Stepping into Goldsboro always feels like going back in time. The first thing that hits you is the smell: the scent of old buildings, fossilised wooden floorboards and ink. And books. Lots and lots of books, all of them valuable first editions and most of them signed by the authors — often in the store itself. Goldsboro isn’t an ordinary shop: it’s also a place where book-lovers from around the UK gather to find a new gem for their collection. Or, simply, to celebrate the written word.
I used to work at Goldsboro. It was my first job in London, and when I went for my interview, it was in the depths of the building, where co-founder David Headley’s literary agency (DHH) lurked at the bottom of a creaking old staircase. I got the job because “you made us laugh”, they said. I worked as a bookseller, and in between packing orders and stacking books, would spend my time people watching.
