The elder daughter and I went out on a spree this morning, she driving which was restful. After I had stopped off and given some blood at the doctor`s surgery - 6 little vials, which, as Tony Hancock would have  said, amounted to a whole armful, we whizzed along in the spring sunshine to Chipping Norton to suss out the new Bookshop. Patrick and Polly used to have the Chipping Norton Bookshop, in a nice corner, two low-ceilinged and exciting rooms which were always crammed to bursting with great books. They have now moved into a prominent position in the Square, painted themselves pale blue, and have 2 rooms, with huge picture windows. They are also now a Coffee Shop and they sell Gifts and have changed their name to their joint surnames.

The first thing to say is that it looks smart, very smart from the street and that it shouts COFFEE SHOP. The thinking is people will go in, have coffee and then feel nice and pepped up and so buy books. Hm.

The big picture windows are under- used - lost sales opportunity. Always use your windows to maximum potential, they speak to the street, they are your front advertisement. Publishers pay HUGE sums to have their books in Waterstones and Borders windows and here are Patrick and Polly barely using theirs.

The coffee shop is at the front and the coffee is very good but the few cakes looked a tad dismal. Also, two counters very close together, with trays of coffee going one way and books coming in the other... there is going to be a costly disaster.

The book displays are absolutely great. The light big windows make everything look bright and enticing. The back room has paperbacks and no windows. Is it me or do they have fewer paperbacks and less adventurous ones than in the old shop ? The hardback selection was great and unusual and we bought quite a bit. They sensibly do not try and compete with a big WHS bang opposite so we had to go and buy our cut price Piers Morgan Diaries over there but that`s OK.

They have an art gallery upstairs. I don`t do art galleries, especially not up stairs. I`d have clambered up there for more books though.

And then there are the Gifts. I once queried why the lovely people at Mostly Books, in Abingdon, sell saucepans. I now query why in Chipping Norton they are selling pretty cups and saucers and fluffy easter bunnies. You can get gifts, up and downmarket, any old where. Chippy itself has several gift shops.

I think they need to get rid of them. Patrick said they had been brought up short by a regular customer who admonished, 'You won`t forget that you are a bookshop, will you ?' I am saying it again. For years, the Chipping Norton Bookshop has been the best indie for a radius of about 40 miles - until you get to Oxford in fact. They are terrific people, they are keen, they know their books, they have long experience and now a terrific and prominent site. But they need to focus. They are a Bookshop. Books are what they know. OK if they want to sell coffee as well, but they should cram every single other corner with books, books, books and more books and chuck the art gallery and the china.

I took in a couple of finished copies of the new Long Barn titles  - THE GOOD THIEF`S GUIDE TO AMSTERDAM and FREDDY LONG EARS. They enthused a lot about the latter and I pushed the former hard, though I know hardback fiction by first timers is difficult.. They have lots of 'we recommend'stickers around and they are genuine, unlike those in many of the chains, which are paid for. I want them to get behind THE GOOD THIEF... and when the reps call with our books, I now have Patrick and Polly primed.  I hope.I will be back to check. There is no hiding place from me.

Right.