This week, KentOnline columnist Melissa Todd reveals plans to offer a quiet and quirky antidote to our “loud, online and unhinged” world by opening a high street bookshop…

Ramsgate. My own beautiful, breezy Kentish corner, steeped in intrigue and history. My husband was born here: my son still lives here: to me, it will always be home. It has its own particular woes, of course: Ramsgate’s shop units have a vacancy rate of 24%, way above the national average of 14%.

Did I say woes? I meant opportunities. What Ramsgate needs is a brand new book shop. A book shop filled with comfy chairs, good coffee and knowledgeable staff. And so I am positively vibrating with excitement to announce the grand opening of Plunder, a brand-new, book-filled, slightly piratical haven, smack-dab on Ramsgate High Street.

Yes, Plunder. As in "loot." As in "booty." As in, “Where did you get this gorgeous hardback of Moby Dick?” “Oh, I plundered it on the high street.” I considered subtler names — “The Reading Nook,” “Chapter & Charm,” “Books & Biscuits” — but let’s be honest: subtlety has never been my brand. Besides, nothing stirs the imagination like the promise of plunder.

Did I say I? I meant we. Really this is Seb Reilly’s idea. Seb was editor in chief at Thanet Writers, back when I was managing editor; he now runs the internationally acclaimed literary journal Seaside Gothic. In fairness, I must tell you Seb is doing all the work. Painting, putting up shelves, making endless Ikea trips. I warned him repeatedly how completely useless I am at anything practical: if he didn’t believe me then, he surely does now. He’s busily sweating and sawing at 32 High Street, the shop formerly known as Brew, every waking moment, while I get in his way telling him he’s marvellous, or more usually, decide to leave him to it, so I can go be useless elsewhere.

Opening a bookshop in 2025 may seem a bold move - or brave, or bonkers - but I think the timing’s perfect. The world is loud, online, and a bit unhinged. People are craving something real, quiet, and full of possibility. Like a book. Or better yet — a whole bookshop.

Plunder will be so much more than a place to buy books. It’s a den, a hideout, a curiosity cabinet of the written word. The plan is for it to feel like the attic of an eccentric, well-read aunt. And what a location! Now so many soulless chain shops have abandoned Ramsgate High Street, more fool them, it’s starting to bloom into a quirky, independent ecosystem. Artisan coffee, micro pubs, funky vintage shops. Enter: Plunder. The walls will be lined with stories waiting patiently to grab you by the throat, then force you, at cutlass point, to devour them whole.

There are so many more plans afoot. Events! Readings! Sea shanties! Jack Sparrow running about causing mayhem! And out the back, a smuggler experience, offering you the chance to learn of Ramsgate’s sinister, scurrilous past.

Opening Plunder is a dream, a gamble, and a mild act of rebellion. In a world that wants everything fast, searchable, and algorithmically optimised, Seb and I hope to offer something slower, stranger, and far more magical. Shelves to browse, spines to crack, stories where you can lose yourself, then find yourself. A place to stumble upon something you didn’t know you needed.

We open soon. A month or so, with a fair wind and plenty more sweating and sawing from Seb. Bring your curiosity. Leave your doubloons (we’ll take card). Let’s make Ramsgate just a little more bookish.