The 200+ square metres of floor space is lined floor-to-ceiling with shelves containing the thousands of books with the collection now standing at over 300,000, according to owner Raymond Compton – and growing!
“My customers seem to think that one day I will get lost in here,” he jokes, “I now have over 300,000 books and as I only started with 20,000, 14 and a half years ago, this shows the books increasing by 20,000 per year”.
The fantastic collection of books continues to grow everyday but if visitors can’t find what they are looking for, orders can be still be placed directly with Raymond. This is an ideal option for people looking to offer specific titles as Christmas presents. Just pop in and give Raymond the order and books should, postal service allowing, be here in time for the big day.
There are currently “lots of very good German and Dutch books” at the ABC, along with a healthy collection of DVDs.
Raymond established the Algarve Book Cellar in Carvoeiro in June 2002 and his passion for the business comes not only from his insatiable love of books and reading, but also of meeting people.
Visitors from near and far frequently pop- in for a catch-up or a chat about the weather with the colourful Raymond, who has some interesting stories of his own.
The shop stocks reads of all genres, from popular chick-lit and light-hearted romances, to the latest crime thrillers, bestsellers, cook books and a vast section of children’s books.
“It’s very, very important for kids to read and I wish they didn’t tax books here, to keep the price down”, he reflects; “new books can sometimes be too expensive for people to buy for kids to read”, which makes the Algarve Book Cellar a great place to stock up on children’s books.
Raymond and his wife Jenny would like to thank all of their customers for their continuing support and to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year – let’s see if the shop manages to increase its stock by a further 20,000 in 2017!
The Algarve Book Cellar is open from Tuesday – Friday, 9:30am – 5pm and Saturday from 9:30am – 2pm.

For further information Tel: 282 354 310 or email: raymond.compton@gmail.com