Second-hand bookshop in town centre, with a large stock of Irish interest/history, as well as fiction and biography.
Large stock in a tiny space. search long enough and you might find something unusual. When the owner sees what you like, he may be able to find you some more. K Currie 18.03.15
Disappointingly, the shop was closed on Thursday, when I visited. The owner of an adjacent shop informed me that Bookease’s hours are not always reliable: “It is usually open on a Thursday, but the guy who runs it can be hard to catch.” This was a shame as I could see that the shop has some good stock. Despite not being able to gain entry, I came away with a fair idea of what is available here, greatly aided by the fact that the windows are filled with books, piled high, spines (with price stickers attached) facing the glass.
Unreliability of opening times aside, it is clear that this would be quite a frustrating shop to visit. The interior is absolutely packed with books, to the extent that browsing would be a challenge. The stock spans a wide range of quality: yes, there are good books here, but there are cartloads of commonplace ones too, as well as some absolute dross.
To focus on the better stock: there is a fair amount of literary fiction and some nice children’s books. Judging only from what I could see from outside, much of the non-fiction is quite good, with some creditable quality in history, military and Irish interest. Also some good titles for sport (including vintage football books), gardening and natural history. It is worth restating the caveat that there is also a great deal of mundane stock here, so if you should manage to gain access, allow plenty of time to winnow out the wheat from the chaff. Whether the shop is open or not, some of the least desirable books are piled up on a couple of tables outside. Lots of the children’s books are £2 each or three for £5. Observers are £5. Although pricing is generally reasonable, prices for some of the better stock are rather steep; this is especially the case for the Irish interest books.
Bookease can be found in the tiny ‘High Street Shopping Arcade’, just along from the junction with Union Street and opposite Clear Pharmacy. Lurgan has exceptionally wide streets and quite a few fine buildings, but the town seems rather down-at-heel. The huge out-of-town Rushmere shopping centre and retail park at nearby Craigavon has taken much of the trade from Market Street and High Street.
Lurgan railway station is within a ten-minute walk of the shop: two trains per hour from Belfast, Lisburn and Portadown. Lurgan is served by buses from Banbridge (56), Portadown (46, 47 and, on Monday-Friday only, 250), Lisburn (551) and Belfast (551 and, Monday-Friday only, 250). The main town-centre bus stops, at Market Street, are a very short walk away. Booker T 13.10.26
Open at advertised times
Phone before travelling
Appointment necessary
Status unknown, update requested
