A BOOK seller is launching his latest venture in a derelict roadside cafe this weekend.

The unexpected venue is the former Little Chef building, on the A556 in Oakmere and it has been transformed into a 3,400 sq ft bargain bookshop.

The man behind Bookstore, at Oakmere, is David McPhie, who opened his first branch in Brierlow Bar, near Buxton, more than eight years ago.

He said: “Bookstore at Oakmere is in a similar situation to Bookstore Brierlow Bar – they’re both by a main road and have a car park.

“I think that’s better than being in a town because people can just buy their books and put them straight into their car, they’re not walking down the high street with a bag full.”

This second branch, which has created 10 jobs, will replicate the successful formula of the first with 95 per cent of the huge range of books stocked at half price or less.

But David, who spent 20 years in the music industry before entering the book trade, admits he has not read a novel for years.

“I’ve never read a fiction book other than maybe at school,” he said.

“In fact, I don’t have time to read much at all.”

His preferred reading material is sport, music and politics but his bookstores stock everything from fiction, biographies and children’s books to more diverse categories such as transport, history, nature, archaeology, philosophy, the arts and science.

He added: “This is a challenging trade to be in – you stand or fall by what you buy.

“It’s like gambling, you’re betting on whether you’re going to sell these books.”

He hopes the store, located between Delamere Forest and Blakemere Craft Centre, will become a tourist destination in its own right and wants to create a welcoming and relaxing atmosphere by offering customers a variety of refreshments while they browse the shelves.

“We want to become a destination and I have every confidence in our success.”