10-12 Blacklands Terrace, Chelsea, London, SW3 2SR
Turn off the busy King’s Road and you are in a slightish side street going by the name of Blacklands Terrace. You will first notice the meticulously kept window boxes on the first floor and then the shiny, pristine ebullience of a very fine bookshop. We spoke to Johnny who, once convinced of our bona fide status, told us that the bookshop’s collection covered the humanities and fiction. The shop was well staffed (six, probably) to deal with the most hesitant or demanding buyer, and is a delicious warren of small rooms, some accessed by elegant and sometimes winding staircases.
‘If we are interested in a book, we will stock it, but we cannot guarantee to sell it.’ Johnny was clear and politely forthright. The shop is beautifully kept, if a little cramped, but this somehow serves to amplify its potential riches. After our visit we can confidently assert that you will almost certainly find what you are looking for here and, if not, something better. Go there to experience how books and shelves and informed staff form a sort of perfect, calm synchronicity. And all locatable just a few yards off the frenetic King’s Road.
Contact details
Address: 10-12 Blacklands Terrace, Chelsea, SW3 2SR
Phone number: 020 7589 9473
Website: johnsandoe.com
Email: sales@johnsandoe.com
Weekday opening hours: 9.30 – 18.00 (also Sundays 11.00 – 17.00)
Twitter: @JohnSandoe
Nearest tube station: Sloane Square
Buses: 11, 14, 211
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