The kiosk · London Road North
A newsagent that got carried away
We still sell the morning papers at half six. We also sell 2,104 magazines from forty countries, keep back issues by the year and post subscriptions across the country. The awning is green. You can’t miss it.
From one rack to a wall of paper
1987
A paper round and a counter
Alan Benacre opens a newsagent on London Road North: papers, tobacco, a rack of forty magazines by the door.
2004
Ruth takes the till
His daughter cuts the sweets aisle in half and fills the wall with independent titles from Bristol, Berlin and Tokyo.
2015
The back-issues room
The old stockroom becomes a filing room of magazines by year. Ivo arrives with nine boxes of his own.
2021
Subscriptions by post
Regulars who moved away asked for their copies. Now 640 of them arrive by letterbox each month.
Inside
Filed like a newspaper
Design to the left, food by the window, travel on the long wall, comics and kids at the back where nobody minds a sit on the floor. Back issues live upstairs in boxes marked by year.
Questions at the counter
What people ask us most
Anything else, ask Ruth. She has heard it all since 2004.
Do you hold copies for people?
Yes. Give us your name and the title and we keep it in a named sleeve behind the till for a week. Regulars get theirs held every issue.
Can I read before I buy?
Please do. The two benches outside are for exactly that. We only ask that you leave the cellophane on the ones that come wrapped.
Do you buy old magazines?
Ivo looks at back issues every Tuesday from 9 to 12. Whole runs and bound years are what we want most. We pay cash or shop credit.
Is there parking?
Two short-stay bays on London Road North and a pay-and-display behind the station, four minutes on foot.
Can schools and cafés order in bulk?
Yes. Cafés on the seafront take a weekly stack from us. Write in with the titles and how many, and we will set a price.
14 London Road North · Lowestoft · NR32 1ET