Acorn

Acorn Bookshop was originally located at The Emporium, Merchants Place in 1977, before moving to 17 Chatham Street around 1983. Key figures associated with the bookshop included Carole Skilbeck, Marke Downe, and someone referred to as Maggie.

The bookshop specialised in subjects such as vegetarian cookery, spirituality, alternative therapy and health, women’s issues, and gay and lesbian literature. By 1990, Acorn Bookshop had a stock of around 8,000 titles.

In the spring of 1991, Acorn Bookshop experienced a significant police raid. Police officers took away seven boxes of books, including titles like "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas," "The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test," and "The Coffee Lover’s Handbook."

They also took invoices from suppliers such as Bookwise, Airlift, and Knockabout. Following advice from Mushroom Bookshop, Acorn called a press conference immediately after the raid. This resulted in widespread support from the community, which astonished the staff.

Sources:

Radical Bookshops Listing, Radical Bookshop History Project (November 2023) [Available online here, accessed 13.05.2025]

The Radical Bookseller, No. 22, Apr/May 1983, Bishopsgate Institute

The Radical Bookseller, No. 67, 1990, Senate House

The Radical Bookseller, No. 75, 1991, Bishopsgate Institute

The Radical Bookseller, No. 77, Spring 1991, Bishopsgate Institute