A Shopping Centre Turned Into a Library

What happens when one of the UK’s most talked-about new library projects begins life as a retail destination?

When most people think about the decline of retail, they picture empty units, falling footfall and town centres searching for a new identity. But what if those same spaces could become something entirely different? Something people actually want to spend time in.

That question sits at the heart of Stockroom, one of the most talked-about cultural library projects in the UK. Located within Stockport’s Merseyway Shopping Centre, Stockroom has transformed previously underutilised retail space into a vibrant destination for learning, creativity, culture and community. Within months of opening, hundreds of thousands of visitors had already passed through its doors, demonstrating the enduring power of well-designed civic spaces to bring people together.

And when you look closer, it’s easy to understand why. This isn’t simply a library. It is a place where children discover the joy of reading for the first time. Where students find somewhere to focus and study. Where local history is preserved through archives and collections. Where families spend time together. Where creativity, culture and learning exist side by side.

In many ways, Stockroom represents a new generation of libraries; spaces designed not around collections alone, but around people, experiences and community connection.

Working alongside Stockport Council, Space Invader and Penketh Group, The Design Concept supplied bespoke shelving and feature elements throughout the project, helping shape spaces designed around how people actually use modern libraries.

Integrated LED lighting, custom timber canopies, bespoke shelving units and cocoon seating nooks were not introduced simply as design features. Each element was carefully considered to create environments that feel welcoming, intuitive and engaging, encouraging visitors to linger, explore and connect.

One of the most striking aspects of the project is the contrast between what the building once represented and what it has become.

A place once designed around transactions is now designed around experiences.

A place once measured by sales is now measured by learning, creativity and social connection.

A place people used to pass through has become a destination in its own right.

Perhaps this is the most important lesson from Stockroom.

As towns and cities across the UK continue to rethink their high streets, libraries are increasingly demonstrating their value not simply as cultural institutions, but as catalysts for regeneration. They bring people together, support wellbeing, encourage lifelong learning and create reasons for communities to return to their town centres.

Stockroom challenges us to ask an important question: If retail once brought communities together, could libraries become the new anchors of our town centres? If this project is anything to go by, the answer may already be emerging.

In a building originally designed to encourage spending, Stockroom now invites people to stay, learn, create and belong—completely free of charge.