Crooked Book

Boscombe’s highstreet is an eclectic band of culture and community, and this little gem of a store encapsulates that feeling and sense of belonging perfectly. The Crooked Book is similar in its disposition to Rhythm the Store, it is an eclectic mix of furniture, beautiful tea servings, a dash of book store and a sprinkling of coffee (shop). Not to mention they run a chess club every Friday.

If you’re ever unsure of what it is you’re looking for in a moment, well it might be the perfect place to go.

Eloise was born and raised on the Jurassic Coast, hailing from Poole, where she lived and went to school before travelling the world and eventually coming back to the area to establish her roots, and making Boscombe the place to live and build a business with her partner Jamie.

Going strong for 15 years, Eloise and Jamie worked on the idea of their shop together, the first idea for the shop was to be a bookshop, but adding the layer of coffee seemed like a no brainer. Eloise would visit carboot sales and auctions looking for furniture to help fill the shop with what they needed to open.

It was during these trips that she was inspired with the thought that the business could become more, and that all of the wonderful items she was seeing could be sold as part of the shop, the idea grew naturally and the shop opened with its coffee /bookstore / furnishings offering.

“The shop is literally the same really. Apart from the fact that it changes all the time, it’s the same. You can come in from one month to the next and the things are completely different.”

Part of the charm of The Crooked Book are the little elements of its personal furnishings that make up the character and integral elements of the shop. One of these includes a community book. A previous customer who enjoyed doodling gifted the book to the store as an opportunity for patrons to add their own stories, messages or drawings to the collection.

Their very own Friends style red couch is a welcome sight as you walk past the store, almost like a greeting to the energy of The Crooked Book. Sitting in the perfect spot by the front window, poised to watch the world go by, or to turn inwards and hide away from the grey skies in a cosy spot.

“There are only three things that have been here since the beginning, the piano, that red table - people are always trying to buy it and I refuse to sell it, and the red couch in the window, I would never sell that now.”

The community and variety of businesses and people in Boscombe has been a really important part of daily life for The Crooked Book. There is an ethos in the town, where everyone is friendly, encouraging and there’s a lot of support for one another. Eloise is an avid supporter of other small businesses and people hoping to fulfil their own projects and stores.

“We love Boscombe, we’re always trying to champion it. There’s a lot of good people and a lot of good things happening.”

This includes how the store gets its items to sell, mostly coming from car boot sales, auctions or locals bringing their own hidden treasures to be sold by Eloise and Jamie.

Not to mention the delicious bakes that make up part of the store come from two local women who homebake all the treats, one of whom has been part of the The Crooked Book story, whipping up the cafe’s goods since its opening.

“People really, really need to support local businesses, especially if they still want to see them here in 10 years time.”

Every Friday, since the dawn of The Crooked Book, there has been a chess club. The shop supplies the boards and pieces and people can turn up for a game, a coffee and a vibe. Normally 7 or 8 games are running at a time as patrons take up the eclectic pews at the assorted tables that sit at the front of the shop. This addition to their business felt like a really important part of adding to and building within the community they are a part of.

Eloise and Jamie have created a slice of home away from home and help bolster the creative ethos and sense of community that is Boscombe highstreet.

“A lot of the same people have been coming since day one and other people have come and gone and enjoyed it along their way.”