Town bids fond farewell to its beloved bookshop

Nation.Cymru Staff

A beloved secondhand bookshop in a seaside town has closed its doors, prompting an outpouring of fond memories and tributes to its long-serving owner.

Cofion Books, located on Bridge Street in Tenby, had become a staple stop for book lovers since its owner, Albie Smosarski, spotted an empty storefront within Tenby’s town walls over forty years ago.

Described by writer Nathen Amin as “absolute chaos”, the shop was famed for its unorthodox shelving system, with books piled high throughout the space.

“Navigating your way around the one-room shop is nigh on impossible,” Amin explained on his Substack. “The only person who seems to be able to make any sense from this madness is Albie himself.”

“Went there once and asked if he had any Agatha Christie books, he said yes and clambered over the piles of books and dug out 3 immediately,” a social media user added. “It looked chaotic but he knew where everything was. Loved that shop!”

Nathen continues: “A humorous handwritten sign on the door tellingly reads ‘enter at own risk’, although I am not sure how many people have met their end crushed under an avalanche of books.”

Alongside its views towards Tenby harbour, Cofion’s distinctive interior became an attraction in its own right, with the shop even billing itself as ‘Britain’s most photographed bookshop’.

With a large selection of secondhand books, “of interest to both the serious collector and general public”, the shop’s constantly changing stock also included Edwardian postcards and the Star of Pembrokeshire paperbacks.

“I bought a biography of J Keir Hardie from there in the late 80s (A Level history),” one customer reminisced. “It had previously been owned by C F Egerton Allen, who was the MP for Pembroke and Haverfordwest and a contemporary of Hardie in Parliament.”

Sadly, it’s the end of an era in Tenby with the closure of the Cofion bookshop, which was run by Albie. Happy retirement, Albie! https://t.co/jAzbNPyFL8

— Lawrence Hourahane (@lhourahane) October 30, 2026

Photographer Gareth Davies, who had staged a photoshoot at the shop in 2024, added: “Albie told me that on one occasion a guy entered his shop and told him that he had looked all over Manhattan NYC for particular books on Dylan Thomas; he found one and bought it – when he left Albie’s he had bought three books on his list on Dylan Thomas.”

Owner Albie, who was raised in the Afan Valley and would travel to the seaside as part of the Miners’ Fortnight, has been described as a “legend in his own lifetime”, according to the Tenby Observer.

The Observer also highlighted tributes from locals and Albie’s past contributions to the Tenby Times through his Cofion Corner column, before recalling his account of how the shop began:

“Forty years ago, I was wandering around Tenby when I saw the present shop, which was well known as Blue Peter and for a little while as The Albatross Bookshop. It was totally empty!

“That was the weekend that changed my life. I was lucky enough to obtain a lease and the rest is history.

“I used to travel all over England stalling out as a postcard dealer at big Postcard Fairs but now I had a base for my collection. I also cleared my attic which contained books amassed over many years and that was the start of Cofion Books and Postcards!

“I always loved books, postcards and history and have tried to incorporate this liking into what I sell.”

For several years Albie also produced an annual calendar featuring memories of Tenby and Pembrokeshire that had taken place the previous year.

Opening times were “haphazard” as Albie did not like to open on rainy days so as not to damage the books, but in warmer weather he was known to sit outside in the sunshine and chat to customers.

After weathering the storm of Covid lockdowns, Albie has now chosen to retire, marking the end of Cofion Books as the town knows it.

“Saw this yesterday, will miss seeing him sitting outside. Wonder what will become of all those books?” a social media user said, while another wished Albie well in his retirement, calling the closure of Cofion the “end of an era in Tenby”.