Names: Paul Waller.
Business name: Bags of Books.
What does your business do? We sell children’s books from our shop on South Street, and also directly into schools throughout Sussex.
How long have you been running the business? Bags of Books itself was established in 1991. My wife Rachel and I took over the running of the shop when we moved to the area in 2003.
What was on the premises before? I think it was an antique shop.
What’s the most expensive item you sell? The new Harry Potter audio book will retail at £75 when it is released on the same day as the book on July 21st.
And the cheapest? We sell a range of animal-shaped books which retail for 99 pence each.
And the most unusual? I’d say that would be a toy Gruffalo - you don’t see too many of those around do you?
What sort of people use the shop? It’s mainly the mums and children of Lewes and the surrounding villages, and local school teachers. We also get a little boost of tourist traffic over the summer months.
Is there anything that irritates you about the business? It’s more of a frustration really - we often get asked for classic books, such as Ant & Bee, The Magic Bicycle and Elsie Piddock Skips in her Sleep, which are sadly no longer in print.
What is your favourite shop in Lewes? The Steamer Trading Cookshop at the bottom of School Hill, which is a great local business selling high quality products.
Recommend somewhere to eat out. That’s definitely got to be Bill’s, and I’d like to recommend the scrambled eggs and smoked salmon. And a smoothie.