A NEW automotive bookshop, featuring a range of new and collectable motoring books, with magazines, leaflets and memorabilia, opened this week in Freshwater.
Flaneur on Avenue Road is home to a wealth of nostalgia, focussing on cars and motoring from the 1960s to 1990s era, with models and posters adding to the atmosphere.
The owner Warren Whyte has a background in cars, from working as a teenager in his grandfather’s Ford garage in Ireland to, more recently, as an architect for Mercedes-Benz.
The shop is also the base for his architectural practice, bringing his experience in heritage, automotive and housing projects to the Island.
He has opened his West Wight shop to give his passion for cars and motoring a permanent base.
Flaneur also houses the Car Marketing Archive, a popular online resource for car advertising through the ages, which Warren has run for several years.
The shop also buys car books, motoring libraries and magazines to try and save them from the recycle bin.
Warren said: “I named my shop Flaneur not only to be distinctive but to reflect a life-long passion of mine – enjoying the streetscape and the vehicles within it.
“It derives from the 19th-century French term, meaning ‘stroller’ or ‘loafer’, and evolved to include those who enjoyed surveying the street scene and shopping arcades of Paris.
“Today, I like to think of a Flaneur as a connoisseur of the street and its automotive delights and now, a purveyor of fascinating literature and automobilia.
“I am pleased to join a range of unique independent shops and cafes in Freshwater and offer visitors and Islanders a relaxed and fascinating destination in West Wight.”
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