West End Lane Books: Customers pack bookshop to celebrate its 25th birthday

West End Lane Books was packed on Tuesday night as punters piled in to celebrate its 25th birthday.

Kim Morris, Ghassan Fergiani and Danny Van Emden at West End Lane Books. Picture: Polly Hancock - Credit: Archant

There was a 25 per cent discount on all books, with wine and cake on offer for customers who came to toast the occasion.

Kim Morris, manager of the bookshop in West Hampstead, addressed attendees on top of a stool: “Thank you for coming tonight and thank you for supporting us over the years. Now get pissed!”

Speaking to the Ham&High, Jane May, who worked at the bookshop until five years ago said: “It has a place in my heart forever. It’s a wonderful shop to have around the corner, and the customers have huge love for it, deservedly so.”

Ms May also spoke fondly of one of the bookshop’s more famous customers, Doris Lessing, who lived in Gondor Gardens.

“We would get a call on a Monday morning after she had read the book reviews at the weekend, putting her order of books in. Woe betide you if you didn’t know what those books were. She could have got them for free, but bought them from us instead.”