Boekhandel Corman

Boekhandel Corman is one of Ostend’s longest-running independent bookshops. Its story starts in 1926, when Mathieu Corman opened a bookshop in the city; since 1996 it has traded under the Corman name again, first run by Michel Kemp and now by his daughter, Valérie. The shop sits on Leopold I-plein, with part of the shop floor under a glass roof, a few minutes’ walk from the main shopping streets.

The range is broad: Dutch-language fiction and translations, children’s and young adult books, poetry, and non-fiction on art, cooking, history, travel, nature, and Ostend itself. For visitors the most useful shelves hold books in French, English, German, Spanish, and Italian. You will also find greeting cards, games, Moleskine notebooks, and diaries; the shop says it is an official Moleskine stockist. Books bought in the shop are covered in paper to take home, and staff will order titles that are not on the shelf.

Corman runs a full program of readings and book launches, often on Sunday mornings, so check the events page before you go. Pick it for a proper browse on a rainy day or a holiday read in your own language. Opening hours are long, Sunday afternoons included.