One of the borough’s most successful bookshops has celebrated its birthday.

Newham Bookshop, in Barking Road, Upton Park, turned 38 and to mark the occasion offered 25 per cent off its stock.

Vivian Archer, manager of co-ordinators at the store, said she puts its longevity and success down to the power of making connections.

“I’ve been here about 30 years, and it’s very different now,” she said. “It wasn’t as big, for starters.

“We’ve built a very strong reputation – that’s been the key.

“It’s all about talking to people – even when you go somewhere and there’s six blokes and a dog, it all builds up.”

Adaptation, Vivian said, has been the other essential ingredient in the store’s success – with a change in dictionary stocks a clear sign of changes.

“We used to get lots of Hindi and Bengali dictionaries, but now it’s all Eastern European,” she said.

The quarter-price celebration on Saturday last week was also complemented by something a bit more festive as Easter eggs were handed out to punters.