Troutmark Books: a bookstore through the ages

Troutmark books will take you for a ride down memory lane of your earliest encounters with books and comics.

Troutmark Books at the Castle Arcade on a calm Saturday afternoon

 

Ceri Rogers is the owner of the bookshop which is located in the castle arcade in the city centre. You name history, arts, travel, science, philosophy, war, and mythology, and Troutmark has it all at discount. They sell, buy and exchange used books across all categories and genres. 

Bookstore manager Pamela says “you can always pass on your collection and someone who’s in need of it will buy it from us” 

The shop was shifted from Newport in the late 90s, and since then has been swinging its doors open for avid readers of cardiff every day throughout the year.

Today, troutmark books are one of the busiest bookstores in town because of its wide variety of collections and reasonable prices which attracts readers and collectors from everywhere.

Troutmark books with its huge display of collections

You’re welcomed to the store by Pamela, who is always smiling and ready to help you in finding the exact text you are searching for. On the other hand, you are free to go about exploring the shop which is divided into various sections inside the single-storey building which makes all the time you spend looking for a book as Joyous as it can be.

Pamela Jones as she narrates how the store has outgrown itself over the years

The bookstore is filled to the brim utilizing space in the smartest way possible with vintage posters on the walls going up or down the stairs and bookshelves filled with books on arts, literature, history, and science and an entire section on the top floor dedicated to vintage comics, CDs and types of vinyl.

A peek inside the dedicated section for vintage comics and vinyls at Troutmark books

Pamela says that the store oozes randomness which she believes gives people a chance to expand their boundaries and read new literature. The shop turns 25 next year and Pamela says that despite having to shut down during the Covid 19 lockdowns, the store has not faced any shortage of stock or has not faced any loss in business. 

A look into the children’s section of Troutmark books

Yohan Pelosse, a regular at the store says “the shop is so random that you don’t know what you will find, old books from the 40s which you rarely come across to the new ones which have just been printed… He also added that “the discounted prices are an advantage”

Troutmark Books is open 365 days of the year and readers can visit the shop almost anytime as Pamela and her junior store assistant Sarah Wischer take no breaks until the store closes. 

Pamela and Sarah happily pose for a picture whilst readers explore the bookshelves 

As they say, there’s so much available if you had the time to look. 

Location: Troutmark Books, Castle Arcade, Cardiff CF10 1BW

Opening Hours: 10am to 5:15 am from Monday to Saturday and 11:15am to 4pm on Sunday

Website: www.troutmarkbooks.com