I am a bibliophile. Novels, autobiographies, illustrated books for kids, self-help, graphic novels, magazines, they all make me happy. Lucky for me, bookshops like Parimar exist; a bookshop with an eclectic selection of new books at a reduced price. Yes, bargain hunters at the back, you heard me, the prices are good here. Shop owner Nora buys books directly from publishers or at book fairs at a reduced price. Often these books are hardback editions of bestsellers in paperback, so leftovers. In Dutch, we refer to this as ramsj which is Yiddish for ‘junk’ but seriously there’s nothing rubbish about this place.
Parimar booksellers have been in The Hague for more than 30 years, but it wasn’t until they moved to their current location on the Korte Molenstraat that I found them, and when I did, it felt like I discovered a little Aladdin’s Cave for booklovers. Albeit a cave with a charming wooden floor, relaxing classical music and employees who greet you with a smile. You can tell there is a loving curation of books here. I love the well stocked art, photography and architecture corner and I have a quick look at the English and German language section, but somehow I always end up in front of the kids books, and I’ve stopped pretending that I’m buying them for my son.
The webshop and Instagram account are a good representation of the collection, but if you’re in town for a visit, nothing better than browsing, right?
