Surveyed
Halesworth Bookshop has occupied 42 Thoroughfare since 1977, when Mr McLachlan first opened it in the town's Ancient House before flooding forced a move to the current site near the marketplace. Abbie Clements, a former teacher, became its fifth owner in 2023 and credits colleagues Alison and Karen with teaching her the trade. Shelves run from poetry to cookery, and the children's section is marked by a floor-to-ceiling mural of Where the Wild Things Are. The shop hosts a monthly book group at The Angel Hotel, school partnerships, and a Christmas book donation scheme for hospital patients, alongside stationery, cards and local-interest titles.