A Review of Foyles (Charing Cross)
107 Charing Cross Road, London, UK
Is Foyles on Charing Cross the best bookstore I’ve visited? It may be. It’s at least sitting at the table for the “best ever” conversation, especially if we’re not talking about second-hand shops, which are a different animal altogether. But for brand new books? In terms of breadth, depth, and variety? If that’s what we’re talking about, then this particular bookshop might very well be the best I’ve found so far.
The simple fact that it’s on Charing Cross near so many other wonderful bookstores in London, that they’ve been around since 1903, that they once held the Guinness World Record for shelf space (30 miles), and that you’ll occasionally hear references to Foyles in film, books, or TV shows makes this shop a top tier bookstore in the worldwide sense. And the experience of browsing for the first time, fully uninitiated, does not disappoint. For a while the shop reminded me of Strand or one of the bigger McNally Jackson locations in NYC, or even the flagship Barnes & Noble in Union Square, but in so many ways I enjoyed browsing here more than each of those. For one, despite the crowds, it felt less crowded than Strand or McNally has ever felt. There’s simply so much space across all five floors, each one brightly lit and colorfully designed. There were no murky corners or dusty nooks, fun as those might be elsewhere. Foyles very much is about offering the most robust and comfortable book-browsing experience possible, and they did so with style and ease. When the phrase “flagship store” is used in any context, Foyles should be the primary example.
There’s no use in me describing the all the many genres and subgenres I found within. They have it. A floor for YA, Kids, Manga, etc. A floor for media, film, music, acting, theater, etc. A floor for fiction from a vast array of countries. On and on. And of course, the adjacent media to those genres. You’ll find maps, vinyl records, movies, board games galore, clothes and bags and trinkets. There’s a jazz café on the top floor. There are events. There are clubs. There are classes and lit festivals. It truly is an epicenter for the arts, with books and reading taking center stage.
This review—if you’ll call something so gushing a review—needn’t be too much longer because there’s not much more to be said. If you’re in London, go. If you’re not in London, go to London and go. It’s a beautiful bookstore where you can spend half a day and leave satisfied, wistful of future visits, assured that not a moment of it was a waste of your time. What an absolute gem.
Atmosphere—Bright, spacious, expansive, clean, inviting, smile-inducing, simply a wondrous experience.
Quality—Of the highest.
Quantity—A truly impressive amount of books, simply too many to explore in one visit. Five full floors of them.
Diversity—The fullest range imaginable, with fiction and nonfiction across a vast range of languages, cultures, and perspectives.
Affordability—New books at new book prices, as one expects, though they did have some discounted and sale displays.
Amenities—They have their own jazz café on the top floor that has events. Elevators for those in need. Plus all the games, bags, gifts, etc. that you can imagine. Plenty of amenities.
Location—It’s on a busy (and famous) street in London surrounded by other stores and restaurants, a neighborhood well worth exploring.
Customer Service—Plenty of staff on hand.
Overall—I’m absolutely thrilled to have had a chance to explore Foyles, one of the grandest browsing experiences I’ve had in a first-run bookshop. With all the energy and accoutrements of a classic golden-era department store but focused on books and the arts, Foyles is an A+ book-browsing experience that I highly recommend, no matter where you’re coming from in the world.
