Couple settle Amorous Cat bookshop into its third home

Oct 9 2007 by Vicky Anderson, Liverpool Daily Post


Amorous Cat Bookshop, Lark Lane......

Lark Lane’s reputation as a bohemian corner of Liverpool has been firmed up with the return of an old favourite. Vicky Anderson has been to find out what it is.

WHILE chain stores offer endless floors of bestsellers, celebrity signings and three-for-twos, it is the image of the cosy second-hand book shop that really captures the affections of those looking for the perfect read.

It’s a dying trade, that much is true – the number of second-hand bookshops in the city can be counted on one hand – but one South Liverpool couple have managed to buck the trend and have re-launched their business.

The Amorous Cat on Lark Lane has re-opened after six years of existing as an on-line resource only.

Proprietors Jan and Ron Sear have moved up and down the lane over the years, but it is only now in retirement that the couple have had the time to set up shop once more.

They say the move has only been possible as they have bought the premises outright, believing it would be impossible for a small business to survive otherwise.

Mrs Sear said: “Because we are older, we are in the position where we can afford to take the risk.

“Our main aim is to sell good literature, encourage children to read, and serve the local community. This place has a lot of potential and we’re just going to see how it goes.”

The couple first opened Lark Lane Books in 1980 before Mr Sear returned to his career in engineering.

It later became The Amorous Cat, for which number 47 is its third home on the same street.

Following Mr Sear’s retirement from full-time work as a lecturer in electronics and computing at Skelmersdale College, they decided to open up once more.

Mrs Sear still works as an English Literature lecturer for the Open University.

The shop’s unusual name holds no great significance to the couple, who say they just pondered words that might have an impact in business.

Stocking more than 12,000 books over two floors, the Sears don’t regret opening again in a time of uncertainty for many other shops of this kind.



“It’s a very bizarre business to say the least,” Mr Sear said with affection.

“It is almost like recycling books.

“People will come in asking for something from their childhood, and that’s what people like buying, nostalgia. That’s something we have that the chains don’t.”

Mrs Sear added: “Part of the beauty of second-hand bookshops is finding the hidden treasures, rather than being told what to read.”

They hope The Amorous Cat will soon host reading and poetry groups as well as a possible late-night opening to appeal to more passers-by.
It is now open from 10.30am to 5.30pm from Wednesday to Saturday and on Sunday afternoons.