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From Robert Louis Stevenson’s Kidnapped to Muriel Spark’s The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, many a great novel has been come out of Edinburgh. One one the greatest of them all, of course, is Irvine Welsh’s Trainspotting.
Depicting the life of young heroin addicts in brutal, darkly comic detail, the book was quickly considered a crucial piece of Scottish literature and its film adaptation (which turned 30 years old just last week) remains a cult classic. And yet, there are no places in Edinburgh dedicated to the novel and its legacy. Until now.
Last week, a secondhand bookshop paying homage to Welsh’s novel and the 1996 film opened in the very same area it was set. Choose Books opened at 126 Newham Road in Leith. The shop’s frontage sports the same shade of orange and font that featured on the Trainspotting promo material three decades ago.
It was launched by Shaun Baskind, who previously owned Ballard Books in South Africa, a tribute to English author JG Ballard. Baskind told Time Out: ‘The idea was to open a bookshop near where we live and create our own vibe in our community – not to try and get into already established cool areas, as there are loads of awesome places in Edinburgh. The community has responded very well and been very supportive.’
Contrary to its name, books are just one of the things you can choose at the store. And it’s not completely Trainspotting themed. Besides pre-loved titles spanning every genre from horror to romance to kids books, the shop sells LPs, comics, vintage toys, cassettes, VHS, movie memorabilia, CDs, graphic novels and DVDs. It accepts donations and will also buy collections.
There’s also a seating area where visitors can sit down for a cup of coffee from local roasters Ride and Grind while people-watching through the front window. The shop is open Tuesdays to Fridays from 8.30am until 3pm and on Saturdays from 9am ‘til 4pm.
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