Kew Beach Galleries

I would recommend this shop for anyone looking for «old books.»
If you had a specific request like, «I need a first edition print of Brideshead Revisited» or a less specific request like «I am looking for a copy of La Peste,» or an even less specific request still like, «I need a book about tomatoes,» then I can’t wholeheartedly recommend this store. It’s a mess.
It was trouble from the get-​go, when I struggled to open the front door. A crudely handwritten sign insisted I «press hard» and I did. This difficult entry adequately portends the inaccessibility of the shopping experience here. It’s stacks upon stacks of used and antique books. The aisles (there are two) are just barely bigger than the width of a shopping cart so it’s a tight squeeze. I can’t imagine more than five people wandering around here.
While looking, I did see some interesting picks and some positively ancient and rare selections. For a collector (or those willing to dig) this place just might be a goldmine. But less so for the casual buyer. Lack of price tags also made it difficult to know what’s what, but rest assured that everything is more expensive than you think it is.
I will return on my next hankering for «old books.»
Obligatory Title Pun: I wouldn’t wait in KEW for it.
Menu Readability: Oy, these handwritten signs. What gives?
Need to mention: This is not a gallery at all.
What this place teaches me about myself: I was this close to buying an old philosophy text as a gift for someone. Talk about a dick move.