Enter our Aladdin's white cave....
Momentarily overwhelmed by the amount of books, you look down and see our dog, Otis, licking your summer toes. The skeleton of an old fashioned telephone sits upon the glass table with a Bailey print; Deneuve and a smoking Agnes Varda, hanging above. On the wall opposite, a Bruce Weber poster... Chop Suey leads through into the stairway.... the Exit Gallery, dedicated to the work of young up and coming photographers.
Established 3 years ago, Claire de Rouen Books is the only independent bookshop in London specializing in Photography and Fashion. A little secret hidden away above a sex shop on London's famous Charing Cross road. It has built up a good reputation based on word of mouth and those in the know. The stock is a selection of both in and out of print books and is sourced worldwide.
The driving force behind the bookshop is Claire. Establishing her reputation at the famous Zwemmer art bookshop; she is a leading light in the London photography book scene. Johnny also has many years of experience in the art book world, having worked at, and managed, various art book shops on London’s Charing Cross Road, including working with Claire at Zwemmers throughout the nineties. Ben is creative, he bicycles to work, he is the curator of the Exit gallery, he makes films. Otis is a Pug crossed with an Alsatian. He has an under bite of inquisitive curiosity and really is quite unique. Claire is like an Egyptian sphinx and wants to stay young forever... 'Mirror mirror on the wall… she wants us to be the best bookshop of them all !!!
