Cogito Books

Cogito Books has traded from St Mary's Chare, just off Hexham's market square, since 2001. Claire, whose family founded the shop, now runs it with booksellers Ann and Megan, building a stock weighted toward poetry, history and what the shop calls unusual fiction. A pair of sofas and a children's corner sit among the shelves, and staff keep track of regular customers' tastes to flag new titles. Orders for books not held in stock are usually delivered free the next day. The shop also runs a paid one-to-one service called a Reading Treat, in which a bookseller draws up a personal reading list after a conversation about taste.