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A student looks at books on a bookshelf in the library.

Glos Goss

Your favourite Cheltenham bookshops


Cheltenham is a book lover’s dream. Bookshops are sprinkled, very generously, all over the High Street, Promenade, and Bath Road, but have you ever wondered what your favourite Cheltenham Book Shop says about you? Well, wonder no more.

Waterstones – The OG Tote Bag Girly

Lucky for you they’ll feed your addiction and supply you with all the best books to fill it with.

Plus, Café W is the best built-in study spot and when you need a break, you have three whole floors of books to explore to find some inspiration. 

Hatchards – You study English

The ladders at Hatchards truly understand you. You walk through the shop dreaming that one day your book will be on their shelves, as you should.

Rossiter – The BookToker

The independent bookshop aesthetic is all over your vision board.

You spend most of your time mentally planning the layout of the bookshop you’ll own in the future and this place just feels right because Rossiter is a bibliophile’s dream, owned by a husband-and-wife duo that truly know what you need in a bookshop.

British Red Cross Bookshop – The Go Getter

You’ve never had an extension on an assignment, ever. You get everything done with time to spare, you have a vision board and set goals.

When you come here to buy a book, you’re always on a mission, you know what you want, which section to go to, and you get it every time.

Oxfam Bookshop – Teacher’s pet

You pay attention in your lectures – this shop might have been missed by some being located off the High Street, but not you.

Oxfam is actually the UK’s largest second-hand bookseller and you’ve wandered around Cheltenham enough to plan a route around all the bookshops in the most efficient way possible, obviously ending at your favourite.

WHSmith – All the gear, no idea

You’re there for the stationary, don’t lie. You have five different notebooks, seven variations on the same pen, and an endless stack of flashcards – go use them.

The Works – Savvy Student

You know how to work the student discount. The three books for £6 deal is on your mind at all times, the bottom of your bag is weighed down with loyalty cards and you probably have an excel spreadsheet of where all the best student discounts are.

@theworksstores

Hands up if you’ve read them all me: 🙋🏻‍♀️🙋🏻‍♀️🙋🏻‍♀️ #booktok #booktokessentials #ironflame #anahuang #checkandmate

♬ original sound – The Works