BOOKS

What type of books do you stock?

Queer books! We stock fiction, young adult, children’s books, picture books, graphic novels, poetry, queer theory, biographies, art books, and more, as long as it’s queer! When we say queer, we mean books that are LGBTQIA+ in content, themes or characters, are written by LGBTQIA+ authors, or are likely to be of interest to the queer community. We are small shop, both in terms of space and resources, so we don’t have every queer book ever, but we spend a lot of time researching what’s out there and do our best to stock a strong range of classics, lesser known titles, new releases and bestsellers.

Can I order something in if you don’t have it?

Absolutely! We have relationships with a lot of publishers and wholesalers, so if a title is in print in the UK we can normally order it in. We do our ordering on a weekly basis, so normally we will have your book in the shop the following week.

Can I order books online/to be delivered?

Actually yes! You can use our Bookshop.org storefront to purchase books online and have them delivered to you, and we receive 30% of the sale! To visit our Bookshop.org store click here

Can I borrow books?

We have a library shelf which consists of books that have been donated to the shop – the vast majority of these can be borrowed. There is no time limit or late fees, but we will ask for your name and phone number so we can remind you to return it if it’s been a really long time. You can also pick up any book in the shop and sit and read for as long as you like without purchasing it, as long as it’s undamaged when you put it back on the shelf.

Do you take donations for the library?

We do! As long as they have queer content, are of interest to the queer community or written by queer authors, we’ll put them on the shelf. You can drop them in at any time the shop is open to the public.

Will you stock my book?

We love supporting local authors and would love to stock every book that we hear about, but unfortunately space in the shop is limited. For us to consider stocking your book, please send us an email telling us about yourself, the book, and the terms of supply and distribution. If your book is available through a traditional publisher or wholesaler, please let us know which as we may already have a relationship with them. You are also welcome to send us, or drop in a proof of the book, but please note we will not make a decision in person on whether to stock the book. For more information on how to get your book into bookshops, you can check out this guide from the Booksellers Association

COFFEE

Are you also a coffee shop?

We are! We sell tea, coffee, hot chocolate, iced drinks, and soft drinks. We don’t serve food. We usually have oat and soya milk as alternatives and we don’t charge extra for them. Sometimes we have decaf, and sometimes we have herbal teas, feel free to ask! You are welcome to bring food with you to eat in the shop, but we can’t reheat anything for you for health and safety reasons.

MISC

Do you run events? Can I run an event from Paperxclips?

We run a range of events, both one-offs and recurring events. Some of these we organise ourselves, others are external groups that want a cozy location to run their event from. In the past we’ve done paranormal investigations, life drawing, book launches, author events, knitting groups, comedy shows, film screenings and more. If you or your organisation wants to run an event from Paperxclips, please get in touch to discuss the specifics – we make the space available as much as possible for as cheap as possible. We charge £0-£50 per hour for room hire and are happy to negotiate a fair price with you.

What’s the parking situation?

There are two carparks within a 30 second walk from our door, however there is a small fee to use them. There is also on street parking which is free from 6pm every day and all day on Sundays.

What’s the nearest bus stop?

The nearest bus stop is North Street, or Belfast Central Library, However any bus that gets you into Belfast City Centre will only be a short walk from us.

Are you hiring? 

As it stands right now, we are not in a position to hire anybody. The shop is a labour of love for us, and we do not take a salary at present, in order to give the shop the best opportunity to survive. We hope in the future we’ll be able to hire staff to sell books, make coffee, or provide other services so if this interests you, keep an eye on our social media.

Can I bring my dog?

As long as they are polite and don’t make a mess then absolutely!