For 46 years, Abacus Books has offered an escape from the modern world - and it's still the town’s best-kept secret
Walking into Abacus Books on Regent Road is less like entering a shop and more like stumbling through a wardrobe into another realm entirely.
The din of town centre life disappears, the glare of the modern world dims and you find yourself somewhere that could just as much be 1879 as 2025.
Surrounding you are floor-to-ceiling books in every direction. Shelves groan under the weight of centuries of stories alongside non-fiction titles on seemingly every subject under the sun.
It’s the kind of place you thought had vanished from the high street. But here, crammed into this wonderfully chaotic space, it endures.
"People come in and say 'wow,'" says Candi Lawton, who manages the shop. "There aren't many places like us anymore. It's like stepping out of the real world – some people browse for hours."
A family business
For 46 years, this independent bookshop has been quietly serving book lovers in Altrincham, making it one of the town's oldest surviving businesses.
Yet despite its longevity, Candi believes it remains something of a "hidden gem" - a secret waiting to be discovered by many.
The story of Abacus Books begins in 1979, when Candi's parents, Chris and Liz, opened the shop in what was then a jeweller's premises. What started as a passion project has evolved into a family business spanning two generations. Candi, who has worked in the shop on and off since she was 14, took over the day-to-day running of the business five years ago, while her mother Liz now manages their thriving online operation.
"We were all brought up surrounded by books," Candi says. "My father thought, why not share the love?"
That philosophy has remained at the heart of the business, even as the retail landscape has transformed around them. While many independent bookshops have closed their doors over the decades, Abacus has adapted without losing its essential character. The shop extended into neighbouring premises years ago, and when the internet arrived, Chris and Liz were quick to embrace it - but always as a complement to, rather than replacement for, the physical browsing experience.
It doesn’t take much browsing to grasp the sheer variety of books that pack the Abacus shelves. Centuries-old leather-bound volumes worth several hundred pounds apiece share space with recently released children’s books.
"We cater for all tastes and all ages," says Candi. "If you want a book on steam railways for your grandfather or a Pokemon book for your son, we'll have them."
The shop's particular strengths lie in local history and art. If anything has been written about Altrincham, Timperley, Broadheath and the surrounding area, you’ll find it here.
Art books are another passion, with volumes covering everything from David Hockney to more obscure artists whose books have long stopped being stocked by the bigger book stores. Venture into any corner and you'll find surprises, such as vintage cookery books marked £20 on the cover selling for £4.99 in near-perfect condition. But there is so much here: on the day we visited, somebody had just been in and bought a book on 18th-century mantle clocks.
"Every day is different," Candi says. "That's the great fun about it."
In an age dominated by Amazon algorithms and online recommendations, there's something wonderfully unpredictable about browsing Abacus Books. The stock changes weekly, sourced from "all sorts of different places" - book collectors, country house collections and various dealers.
This constant turnover brings regular customers back week after week, knowing there will always be something new to discover. Collectors of particular artists or subjects make pilgrimages from across Manchester and Cheshire, confident they'll find treasures they won't see anywhere else.
"We get a lot of people coming from afar," Candi adds. "People know that whenever they come, there's going to be something new."
But the shop also thrives on its loyal local customer base: Saturday regulars who pop in to see what's arrived, families starting collections, or youngsters amazed that they can hold and buy a 100-year-old book for just £10.
"Bookshops aren't stuffy places," Candi insists. "They're for everybody, for kids and families. We're not snobs or anything else."
While the physical shop opens three days a week (Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, officially 10:30 to 5:00, though they usually stay open longer), Abacus has successfully expanded online. They sell rare books worldwide through Amazon - an entirely separate stock from the shop - while new books are available through uk.bookshop.org, a platform that supports independent bookshops.
This dual approach makes business sense, but Candi has noticed that despite the convenience of online shopping, many people still prefer the tactile experience.
"So many people want to pick up a book, look at it, look at the illustrations, look at the condition of it," she says. "With rarer books especially, people want to come in and have a look. The internet has been good for us, but there's still that core group who want to see books physically."
The shop works well with neighbouring businesses too, particularly Tasty Records across the road. "Similar types of people go to the record shop and come to us," Candi says.
As Christmas approaches - always the busiest time of year - Candi plans to extend opening hours to cope with demand. The online business is already in full swing, with her mother constantly packaging orders for the post office queues. In the shop itself, browsers will often spend hours searching for the perfect gift.
"We are told we look like something out of Harry Potter," Candi says. "It's just something that's happened really. But it's such a fabulous, lovely atmosphere."
For those who live locally but have never ventured through its doors, Candi's message is simple: "Come down and have a browse."
After all, in an era of chain stores and online mega-retailers, there aren't many places like Abacus Books left. Which is precisely what makes it worth discovering.
Abacus Books, 24 Regent Rd, Altrincham WA14 1RP. Open Thursday-Saturday, 10.30am-5pm. Also see uk.bookshop.org
