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Scottish Borders

The Mainstreet Trading Company

A bookshop, cafe, deli and homeware shop in a former auction house at St Boswells, with author events through the year.

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Welcome

In the village of St Boswells, the Mainstreet Trading Company brings together books and the smell of coffee under one roof.

Rosamund and Bill de la Hey turned the old auction house into a bookshop in 2008, and it has been drawing readers ever since.

The shop is a pleasure to browse, with tables piled with new books under strings of bunting and a children's room watched over by a painted green dragon. The cafe serves coffee and food, and in 2012 the couple added a deli and homeware shop in a barn behind, stocked with deli food, tins, jars and things for the home.

Well-known writers come to talk through the year, among them Ian Rankin and Alistair Moffat in autumn 2026. Mainstreet opens from Tuesday to Sunday, and it makes a lovely stop on a day around Melrose and the Tweed.

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Before you go

Tuesday to Saturday 10am to 5pm, Sunday 11am to 4.30pm; closed on Mondays.

Where
St Boswells, TD6 0AT.
Inside
Books, cafe, deli, homeware.
Opened
2008.

Opening hours

Their website
Monday
Closed
Tuesday
10am–5pm
Wednesday
10am–5pm
Thursday
10am–5pm
Friday
10am–5pm
Saturday
10am–5pm
Sunday
11am–4.30pm

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Did you know

A painted green dragon mural winds above bookshelves in a children's bookshop, bunting hanging from the ceiling and a small table and chairs set below.
Did you know

A dragon for readers.

The children's room is watched over by a painted green dragon winding above the shelves.

Bunting flags hang above a bookshop interior, display tables of books standing before white shelving under a sloped ceiling.
Did you know

From auction house to bookshop.

The shop fills a former auction house, renovated in 2008.

Ben Lerwill

From our guide to The Borders

Based in a premises that was once a Victorian grocery store then later an auction store, this characterful bookshop-cum-café-cum-deli has previously been voted Britain’s Best Small Shop, which tells you all need to know about its blend of local charm, independent spirit and dedication to quality.

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Where it is

On the main street in St Boswells, TD6 0AT.

Close bySt Boswells.
  1. Buccleuch ArmsBuccleuch ArmsThe country inn on the green.Under a mile 1 min by road
  2. The main lawn at Mertoun Gardens in early summer, with tall conifers behind and azaleas in flower along the border.Mertoun GardensTwenty-six acres of gardens round Mertoun House by the Tweed near St Boswells, cared for by a charitable trust since 1984.2 miles as the crow flies
  3. The giant red sandstone statue of William Wallace with sword and shield on a tall plinth against a blue sky.Wallace StatueA 31-foot red sandstone statue of William Wallace, set up in 1814 on a wooded hillside above the Tweed near Dryburgh.3 miles 6 min by road
  4. Dryburgh AbbeyDryburgh AbbeyThe abbey by the Tweed.3 miles 7 min by road
  5. Apple trees in blossom in the orchard at Priorwood Garden, with the red stone ruin of Melrose Abbey beyond the wall.Priorwood GardenA walled garden in the ancient precinct of Melrose Abbey, cared for by the National Trust for Scotland.3 miles as the crow flies
  6. Melrose AbbeyMelrose AbbeyThe great abbey at Melrose.5 miles 9 min by road
Directions
Inside the Trimontium Museum: Roman cavalry armour, helmets, a painted shield and a silver face-mask helmet in dark cases lit red.AttractionsTrimontium Museum3.4 miles
Inside Haus and Co in Melrose: wooden shelves of ceramics and candles, with tables by the window in the low sunShoppingHaus and Co, Melrose3.4 miles
Dried flowers and berries in a stone vase beside a candle at Henderson's Garden & Home in MelroseShoppingHenderson's Garden & Home, Melrose3.5 miles
Leaderfoot Viaduct's stone arches span the River Tweed through rolling Borders farmlandAttractionsLeaderfoot Viaduct3.7 miles
The white lattice deck of the Chain Bridge hanging across the River Tweed from its stone tower, with a heron in the shallows below.AttractionsThe Chain Bridge3.7 miles
Three-peaked Eildon Hills rise above patchwork fields and woodland in the BordersAttractionsScott’s View4.1 miles
Burts Hotel in Melrose, a white-painted 18th-century inn with black window surrounds and red window boxes.RestaurantsBurts Hotel4.7 miles
Gravel path between flowerbeds leads to a wooden door in a stone wallAttractionsHarmony Garden4.8 miles
The Rhymer's Stone, a small upright memorial stone on a cobbled base in front of bushes.AttractionsRhymer’s Stone4.9 miles

Recommend to a friend

Stay nearby

Places to stay near the shop, and when each is next free.

The House in the Hill at dusk, its turf roof over walls of local stone and glass, a bedroom lit inside and the hot tub at the corner.The House in the Hill
  • Sleeps 4
  • In Jedburgh
  • 12 miles from the Mainstreet Trading Company
Free 22–24 NovA grey stone farmhouse with several chimneys stands against rolling hills, a wildflower meadow in the foreground.The Scullery
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Yarrow
  • 16 miles from the Mainstreet Trading Company
Free 14–16 NovPlaces to stayEvery stay in the Scottish BordersAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
Hidden Scotland, the magazine

Scotland, in print.

We want to show you the best that Scotland has to offer. The makers and the creatives, the enduring experiences, the evocative tales, the concealed corners. The roads less travelled that take you to places that matter. The adventures that gather you up and sweep you away. The blend of the wild and the artistic that makes Scotland what it is. We’d love for you to join us.

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Read on

What we have written about it and more in the Scottish Borders.

From the magazine16 Bookshops to Fall for this AutumnArticleWhere to Shop in Scotland This Christmas
More in the Scottish Borders

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For further reading, before you go. The details on this page were checked on .