The Open Book

Name: The Open Book
Address: 2 High Street, Newton Stewart, DG89HQ, GB
Telephone: +441988402010
Price range: $
Rating: 4

A Bookshop Holiday Experience! Waiting list:
https://confirmsubscription.com/h/d/ADE7A1091812FA95

25/06/2024

Good morning! We will be open from 10am-3pm today. Gives us time to meet folks as they come into the shop and as we wander through the town before other shops close this afternoon. Come say hello and plant a seed of kindness! 🌱❤️

24/06/2024

Hello bookshop friends! We are Tiffany and Anderson, the mom/son guest booksellers for the week from San Francisco, CA. We have opened for our first afternoon and we are so excited to be part of this wonderful community for a bit!

Our theme for the week is planting seeds of kindness...you're invited to come in and write a kind note to tuck away in any book for a future reader to find. Although everyone is different, our love of stories connects all of us...like the individual flowers, plants and animals in a healthy garden ❤️🌱

See you in the shop!

IG .rowe.photo

12/06/2024

- Wine and Words on Wednesday! -

Join us at The Open Book tonight (June 12th) from 4:30-6pm for Wine and Words!

Bring your most impactful passage or sentence to share with others from the book of your choice and enjoy a glass of wine with us!

31/05/2024

EXCITING NEWS! Last minute availability at The Open Book next week. Come and stay for 4-nights between 3rd-7th June 2024.

First come, first served ... you can book here:
https://tickets.wigtownbookfestival.com/sales/openbook

18/05/2024

Our 3 wonderful days at the Open Book has come to an end. Everyone has been so wonderful and welcoming. Got in touch with some old friends and made new ones too! Wigtown makes you forget about your troubles and breathe! It is truly a magical place!
Many thanks to everyone that visited while we were there! You made our stay special!

16/05/2024

Our dream come true for the third time! We arrived back at the Open Book and immediately felt at home! Love Wigtown and everyone here - it's like family to us! So we already had 30 visitors with amazing stories to tell. We can't wait for what tomorrow will bring! Stop by and chat with us! We would love to hear your story!

13/05/2024

Our week in Wigtown is coming to a close but it has been a wonderful one, full of the friendliest people! Thank you everyone for welcoming us to Wigtown!

13/05/2024

Come and visit me on our last day in Wigtown! Open today 10-3.

11/05/2024

Come find happiness and books at The Open Book today from 10-1.

10/05/2024

Another great day at The Open Book today! With all this great weather we are having we thought many of you might be working outside, we have a new gardening table set up. Hope you will stop by to see it tomorrow between 10-1.

10/05/2024

It’s another beautiful sunny day in Wigtown!! Met so many amazing people yesterday, hope to meet many more today!! Open 10-4!

09/05/2024

Such a wonderful first day at The Open Book!! We set up some Canadian book displays and met so many wonderful people including author Tormod Cockburn who has a very interesting book series I will need to check out, a ladies book club celebrating 10 years together, an archaeologist, a wonderful lady doing an apprenticeship at The Bookshop and so many people enjoying holiday here in Wigtown!

09/05/2024

So excited to be at The Open Book to start our 25th Anniversary Scotland Adventure! Bookshop will be open today 10-until at least 2 maybe 4 depending on what adventures happen today!

07/05/2024

Tuesday, May 7. Sadly, it is time to say goodbye to The Open Book and Wigtown. This has truly been one of the most memorable weeks of my (very long!) life. I have so enjoyed meeting and chatting with all of the customers as well as all of the local people who stopped in to say hello. Many, many thanks go to, in particular, Anne Barclay, Joyce Cochrane, and Ruth Anderson for not only a warm welcome but also for help, advice and conviviality along the way! 😊 And a tip of the hat to Dave, Wigtown’s tour guide extraordinaire! You may be sure that I will be back!! ❤️

04/05/2024

Wigtown, May 4. Doesn’t everyone start off their Saturday morning with bagpipes?! 😊❤️

03/05/2024

Wigtown, May 3, 2024. I have had the extraordinary and serendipitous good fortune to have reserved The Open Book over Wigtown Spring Weekend. So much going on. One thing is a treasure hunt for kids. They pick up a map and go around to find little literary characters in the shop windows. Here are photos of two of them: Miffy (which I chose for “my” shop window!) and The Snail and the Whale!
There’s also a “Story Boat” behind one of the cafes called Reading Lasses (!). There’s much to tell about the boat, which was a real working boat, but is now retired and spends her life going around to primary schools with Gail, the lady in pink, who is a storyteller. And that’s only part of the story! 😊

02/05/2024

Wigtown, May 2. I had the most amazing and wonderful day! Sold LOTS of books, talked to many interesting people, and (I think) made a couple of new friends. I’m ready to sign up to do this all over again! 😊❤️

01/05/2024

Wigtown. May 1, 2024. After six years and 4 buses, I finally made it! A dream come true. ❤️

30/04/2024

Thank you for a wonderful week at The Open Book! I loved being surrounded by books and beautiful countryside, but most of all, I loved meeting the people- the visitors and the locals! All the warm greetings, conversations, and kind invites made my stay here so special! Thank you to the generous festival volunteers, especially Dave and Joyce, for all they did to help me! Keep up the magic, Wigtown! Here are a few photos from my week. Be back soon! ~Melissa 📚 🫶🏼

11/04/2024

31/03/2024

That's a wrap for me this week at The Open Book. There may have been more exploring than bookselling (sorry 😅), but I cannot begin to tell you what a wonderful time I had here. Thank you for sharing your town and people with me Wigtown. You made it feel like home. I can't wait to come back 💜

30/03/2024

Was out enjoying the sun while it lasted this morning and visiting all the vendors at the Saturday Market!!! -s

29/03/2024

Had a nice walk (and dodged the rain) over to Bladnoch Distillery earlier! See you 1430-1600 today!

28/03/2024

Out on an adventure today!!

27/03/2024

Hi Wigtown! Sarah from Georgia in the Southeast USA here for the week! I'm here until 4:00pm/1600 today! Stop in, say hi, tell me your favorite book reccomendations, and give me your best driving advice 😆

23/03/2024

And that’s a wrap! Closed our shop for the final time and it was a very bittersweet feeling (24 visitors but only £1.50 in takings on our last day). I’ve followed The Open Book’s page for years and all the shopkeepers have had such amazing things to say about their experience, I’ve always thought they set a very high bar for this place. I shouldn’t have been worried.

While we had so much fun minding the store, what we found most magical are the people of Wigtown. Everyone went out of their way to say hello, extend a helping hand, or give advice. Ruth from Well Read Books next door popped in every single morning to say hi and chat for a while. Ian from The Old Bank Book Shop went out of his way to give advice to my friend Brian, dropping a handwritten note in our mail slot for him. Ruth also dropped us a note with places to visit on our outings. Joyce, also from Old Bank, was immensely helpful and friendly, and brought us a wee parting gift today. Looking forward to raising a glass with her later this evening at the pop-up bar. There are too many people to mention by name who have been beyond friendly. You’ve all made a very lasting impression on us and we’re both taking pieces of you, and Wigtown, back home with us to Oklahoma. I’m also leaving a small piece of my soul here with my new friends. There is no other community like this on the planet and I *will* be back someday.

Thank you again, Wigtown, and The Open Book, for an unforgettable experience. This has definitely been a vacation of a lifetime.

23/03/2024

It’s the Barbaro Sisters’ last day as Open Bookers! We’re open until 3:00 pm today so please come by to say hello and ‘til we meet again (because this is not goodbye forever).

22/03/2024

We had another stellar day as Open Bookers! Today’s stats include: a total of 15 visitors, 11 books sold, and total takings of £27.50. In addition to our human visitors, we had our first four-legged friend, the supremely handsome Labradoodle, Caspian! (FYI, all animal friends are welcome so please bring them by!)

Pic of Caspian for tax.

Address

2 High Street
Newton Stewart
DG89HQ

Telephone

+441988402010

Website

https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/7908227

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Videos

Impromptu Jam Session at The Open Book

THANK YOU Lynne, Steve, Andy, Grace, Ian, and Joyce for a FANTASTIC evening! 🎶❤️

Autumn window display on a blustery day.

Apologies for the vertical filming, but it suits the subject: our customised LEGO bookshop. This is set 10270, still available. The different floors are all changed to have autumnal and Hallowe'en details - feel absolutely free to ask one of us to take each floor off to give you a detailed peek.

Aww this was such a wonderful thing to see to end our last day: Wigtown Riding of the Marches Weather hasn’t been bad at all either! 🐴 Spot the teeny horses! 😍

Ben and Beth of The Bookshop Band are playing in The Open Book this afternoon, and at The Print Room this evening from 8pm. Come and see them!

The Bookshop Band does... Fantastical Creatures

Join the award winning Bookshop Band for a FREE online concert themed around fantastical creatures in literature. Filmed at Moat Brae, the home of JM Barrie, the concert features a couple of new songs inspired by Peter Pan, performed with the backdrop of the gardens that inspired much of the original story. If you are able to add something to the concert TIP JAR, here's the link: https://tinyurl.com/TheBookshopBand And do check out the band's Patreon page, filled with backstage goodies: https://www.patreon.com/TheBookshopBand Moat Brae is the National Centre for Children's Literature and Storytelling in Scotland. https://www.moatbrae.org/ and hosts the Big Dog Festival each year.

We had a great turnout at our Wine Down Wednesday, Sips and Snacks event tonight. Below is a video of Julia sharing the story of her great grandfather surviving the sinking of the Titanic. We enjoyed chatting with everyone after the talk.

The Bookshop Band does.... Folk Tales

Join The Bookshop Band for an online concert inspired by folk tales from around the world, filmed and performed at Moniack Mhor - Scotland's Creative Writing Centre. Find out more about supporting us on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/TheBookshopBand If you'd like to give a one-off tip for the concert, here's the link: https://tinyurl.com/TheBookshopBand To buy any albums or merchandise head here: https://www.thebookshopband.co.uk/shop1 Moniack Mhor runs workshops, courses, residencies and tutorials throughout the year with some of the UK's finest teachers. Have a look at their website to see what's booked in. https://www.moniackmhor.org.uk

Just finished my cookbook writing workshop @The Open Book in Wigton. I talked a little about my experience then made hummus as an example of how to write a recipe. Great group discussion re writing recipes and our associations with recipes and cooking AND sold out all my copies of Eat Well by Nell Nelson

Good morning from The Open Book!

Good morning, fellow book enthusiasts! As fall looms, and being an admitted thriller/scary story junkie, I put together a section of reads to prep us for Spooky Season! 👻🎃 It's going to be another beautiful day, I hope everyone is able to feel the sun on their face today. 🌞 ~G

The Wigtown Book Festival presents The Bookshop Band World Tour LAST NIGHT

Join the Bookshop Band - Beth Porter and Ben Please - on their concert tour of bookshops around the globe, featuring a host of special guests from the world of books brought to you by the magic of the interweb. Where will they venture tonight? The gigs are free, but if you'd like to show your appreciation and donate to The Wigtown Book Festival please follow this link: https://wigtownbookfestival.ticketsolve.com/products/donation Bookshop link: https://www.wordbookstores.com Bookshop Band merch: https://www.thebookshopband.co.uk/shop1

The Wigtown Book Festival presents The Bookshop Band World Tour DAY 4

Join the Bookshop Band - Beth Porter and Ben Please - on their concert tour of bookshops around the globe, featuring a host of special guests from the world of books brought to you by the magic of the interweb. Where will they venture tonight? The gigs are free, but if you'd like to show your appreciation and donate to The Wigtown Book Festival please follow this link: https://wigtownbookfestival.ticketsolve.com/products/donation Bookshop link: https://bookshop.se Bookshop Band merch: https://www.thebookshopband.co.uk/shop1

Tuulenlatva - Houtskari

Hello from Finland! I'm a reader, translator and in love with books. This is the place I come from; a small island Houtskari, in the archipelago of Finland. I'm so happy to be in Wigtown. Have never been in Scotland before, but what I've seen is beautiful. Already in love - books, great coffee and cake - what's not to love..and everything is so green and stormy. (And everybody has wild beutiful red hair and they just whirl away with dazzling speed on their white unic.. horses).

Open Book

Open Book's the best place to be. During the book festival the best thing to do is: The events, meeting interesting people and Book at Bedtime. Hot chocolate, marshmellows, teddy bears and the finest velvety voiced people to read you a story, a poem, a song. Chill, relax and dream yourself away.