Pontypridd Children’s Book Festival Organisers Open Book Shop

Written by on 16th June 2021

A new chapter for book lovers in South Wales begins this weekend with the opening of a new independent bookshop in Pontypridd town centre.

Storyville Books, located at 8 Mill Street opens its doors this Saturday (June 19th) with a day of events and giveaways to celebrate the latest addition to Pontypridd’s growing number of independent retailers.  

Storyville Books, the only independent book shop in Rhondda Cynon Taf county borough, will sell a wide range of new titles, from the latest in fiction and non-fiction to Welsh language titles along with a children’s corner for little bookworms that will cater to younger readers.

Storyville Books is co-owned and managed by Jeff Baxter and former BBC journalist Cerith Mathias, the team behind the annual Pontypridd Children’s Book Festival. (https://www.pontykidsbookfest.co.uk)

Cerith Mathias, co-owner of Storyville Books said:

We’re excited to open the doors this weekend and welcome everyone to the shop. Our hope is that Storyville Books will become a central part of the vibrant community here in Pontypridd, becoming a place for people to share their passion for books and for reading. We’ll provide a hub for booklovers of all ages and tastes to come and discuss their favourite titles and authors, hopefully leading to the discovery of many more new favourites along the way.’

A packed programme of events is planned for Storyville Books’ grand opening on Saturday, which also coincides with the beginning of Independent Bookshop Week, taking place from 19th – 26th June.

Doors open at 10am on Saturday morning, with the first ten customers treated to a Storyville Books goody bag.

Pontypridd Town Mayor, Carl Thomas will officially open the shop in a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 11am.

For younger customers, Patch the Ponty Panda, the popular mascot of Pontypridd Children’s Book Festival will be visiting the shop at 12pm.

At 1pm author and broadcaster Gary Raymond will be signing copies of his latest book, Angels of Cairo.

To finish the day’s events, children’s author and BBC Wales news anchor Lucy Owen and illustrator Rebecca Harry will be signing copies of their new book Flower Girl.

Co-owner of Storyville Books, Jeff Baxter said,

We’re passionate about Pontypridd and our community and are looking forward to being part of the exciting developments taking place across the town. With the wonderful new library, the revamping of the Muni Arts Centre and the new YMCA building opening, as well as the existing cultural institutions and groups here, we feel very lucky to be launching Storyville Books at such a crucial time and look forward to being a central part of Pontypridd’s bright future.’

Storyville Books will be organising author talks and book signings throughout the year, bringing international and UK best selling authors to Pontypridd along with showcasing the wealth of local talent on the doorstep.

Everyone who visits the shop on Saturday will receive a £5 National Book Tokens voucher.

For those unable to attend the grand opening, Storyville Books is also a member of Bookshop.Org. To purchase from Storyville Books, visit: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/StoryvilleBooks

For updates from Storyville Books, follow:

Twitter: @storyvillebook

Facebook: @StoryvilleBooksPontypridd

Instagram: @storyvilleponty


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