The new bookstore, Criminally Good Books, opened on the 5th of March and will be offering 10% off everything in-store for the first week of its opening

Located just by The Shambles at 14 Colliergate, Isla Coole took over the lease in November 2023 for the shop which had previously been owned by Village Gallery.

In line with the shop’s name, Criminally Good Books provides a selection of sub-genres such as crime fiction, mystery, thriller, historical, and true crime books with a number of these being special editions, signed, or gift editions, according to Indie York.

The shop will be open Tuesday to Saturday, from 10am till 6pm, and 10am till 4pm on Sundays.

The store’s manager and book-lover, Isla Coole, said: “I have a lifelong passion for reading and literacy coupled with a love of crime books. I wanted to create a space that was inclusive and a community hub for crime fans.”

As well as being a comfortable space to freely browse the diverse collection of books on offer, the shop will function as a venue for unique events such as author signings, fingerprint classes, and provide a recording studio for podcasters.

A percentage of the book sleeve and bookmark sales will also go to Criminally Good Books’ charity partner IDAS, who support those affected by domestic abuse and sexual violence, according to York Mix.

Isla’s dream of opening a bookstore and her passion for reading is not a recent one, as she told York Mix: “My love of books started with my dad who worked for Harper Collins Publishers and who used to come home with bags of books on a weekly basis for the family to rummage through.”

“We were brought up on Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot as well as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes.”

Isla expressed the difficulties she anticipated when opening the store given the current economic climate, and how she hopes to bring something new for York’s supporters of independent businesses.

She said: “York has a long history of publishing, printing and independent bookshops but over the decades that has reduced with a couple of bookshops closing in recent years.

“I wanted to create something a little different [and] niche and hopefully not recreating what already exists.”

Paired with York’s history in publishing and print, the bookstore is the newest addition to a number of other independent bookstores in the York area, some of which including Little Apple Bookshop, The Portal Bookshop, and The Minster Gate Books.

More information for the store can be found on Indie York , and updates on Criminally Good Books’ Instagram.