A BOOKSHOP celebrated its reopening last weekend, following a modern interior redesign.

A Friday launch was attended by “friends of Griffin Books”, including traders, publishers and politicians, ahead of the official public launch on Saturday.

Mel Griffin, owner of Griffin Books on Windsor Road, Penarth said: “This has always been a dream of mine, having the bookshop. I had a vision of what it could be five years ago; one that Sam, our designer, helped me realise, along with Rob, our partner.

“It’s been a fantastic experience to watch this come together, from the conceptual stages, to last week when we worked flat out to see it happen.

“I want to give a special thank you to Sam and Rob for making it happen. I also owe a huge thank you to my team Dawn, Rachel and Kate for being troopers. I really appreciate you all being here today, especially Stephen, our MP, and fellow traders who do so much good as a community; and of course thank you to our loyal, supportive customers."

Sam Parsons works at Future Joinery Systems with a fellow former architect. He designed the interior.

“We use emergent technologies to make bespoke kitchens, wardrobes, joinery and the like much more cheaply than you would expect without sacrificing quality,” he said. “I was asked to help with the redesign because of my background in that.

“I’m humbled by everyone’s response to the redesign. I hope Mel gets good use out if it, and that it improves her business – that it becomes a bookshop for the future.”

Stephen Doughty, MP for Cardiff South and Penarth, was also present at the launch. He said: “It’s fantastic to see the renovation. It’s always been one of my favourite bookshops and now it’s got even more to offer.

“I took the chance to stock up on local history books, a real favourite of mine, and a few Penarth postcards.

“It’s clear what support Mel and her team have from the community, and the rest of the shops in Penarth too. I’m a huge supporter of Shop Penarth and other schemes ensuring we support local traders – our independent businesses are one of the things that makes Penarth great.”