would you use an independent book shop?

We love the bookshop in Bath with all the signed copies! I spend a fortune in there on 1sts & signed books.

We went there then to Hay on Wye on the way home, my poor car was a bit over loaded.

We have an independant bookshope here. Nearest waterstones 20 miles in either direction but the independant can order in do it's as fast as ordering from anywhere. Depends on whether you want to support the buisness or save money. Books (buying them)are usually a luxury anyway

I think it would work really well in York (the only town I know really well from your list) but the town centre rents would be huge.

If it was me I would sell second hand books cheaply (there is very little money to be made on books and they take up a lot of space) and concentrate on fab coffee and cakes - there's a massive mark-up on food and that's where the money will be made.

Also if it was me I would be selling a few gifty-wifty items (you can easily get those on a sale or return basis from artists).

I would love to do this seeing as I read all the time, bake all the time and make candles which I could sell.

I'd use one but I think you need a few things to make it work:

• a really good, baby friendly coffee area with yummy cake and room for prams - that way you might get NCT groups
• a great childrens section with room for the kids to sit down and look at books
• good ideas for themed evenings - maybe cookery demos, themed kids evenings, readings by authors, competitions etc.
• mail order service
• maybe he could have a second-hand/book swap section (where you swap one of your books for another for a small admin fee).

Customer service also really really helps. Knowledge of the stock, for example. i have been shocked by the loss of bookshops here and now try at least to use a physical one even if it is a chain, but it really hurts to be treated so badly... i ordered 2 books with one particular shop and in BOTH cases the book has NEVER arrived and all record of the order has disappeared... i'm not going to make an official complaint, or name the bookshop on here, because i feel such a mug, but in both cases I also paid in advance so have lost my money! I'm so disorganised that I lost all the paperwork too, so have no leg to stand on, but that's the thing, I am nothing to them, they have no memory or record of me. so to me it is absolutely ALL about customer service.

I still use an independent bookshop in my home town when I go back there, because they were so good to me when I was growing up and they seem to know every single book they stock without even looking it up.

I think what might help this to work is a specialism (be it children's books or military history) combined with genuine expertise so that people are actually willing to travel and you are not reliant on passing trade.

Good coffee will also help ...

There are still lots of people out there (including me) who much prefer to browse in a proper bookshop, and you can still make it work if the area is right.

My dad set up his own bookshop in SW London, although it was in the late 70s! He spent well over a year researching the right area, and it was highly successful until he retired about 10 years ago.

I admit that he never had to compete against the likes of amazon, but he weathered the end of RPM on books with very little effect. This was mainly due to a loyal and devoted customer base; you get to know them, and what they like, better than they do themselves in the end!

I really wish you the best of luck. Definitely go for it, but wait for the right location to come along!

I buy a book most weeks, if I can I will buy in the local bookshop as I try and support local shops. I also use the butchers, greengrocers, fishmongers for the same reasons. I also shop in second hand bookshops and amazon.

Our coffee shop and bookshop were struggling so they have merged. The bookshop does seem to be quite quiet still though.

I use our local one in the high street. Feel very lucky to have it and use it consciously to support it.

They have a good children's section which I think is important and a very good local section (both local interest stuff and local authors) Agree with bebumba that lots of people still love to be in a bookshop, for all that amazon may be cheaper etc

I wish your DH all the best with it if he goes for it.

I use my local independent because I can get books there that I can't find in Waterstones etc. I buy books from Amazon but am probably old fashioned in that I still prefer to pick up a book and flick through it before I buy it. A book shop/coffee shop is my idea of heaven!

i use my local independent book shop. i love the place! i buy books for my DS just to support them! they also sell some pretty diaries, notebooks etc at a very reasonable price.

i think it's a good idea and the coffee shop will help in case there's not a big demand on books.

sorry haven't read all thread

the difficulty for second-hand book retailers at the mo i think is the oxfam bookshops, plus obviously the skyhigh rent and rates

i would agree that making the cafe the main income stream with specialist book stock as the sideline COULD work

evening opening is at a premium now, there is nowhere at all nice to go in the evening here, dh and i used to go to borders a lot. evening opening could be a way forward if it's swingable with staff costs/security issues

children's books, textbooks and poetry are the only books I still spend money on really, the rest I get from the library.

Oh - just seen Rhian's post. Those are the stores I'm referring to. DP goes to both all the time, as do one or two friends. He does almost all his Christmas shopping at one of them! The books are nicely wrapped in cellophane, too. They look expensive.

There are a couple in my town and they are well used. They have regular events (people like Will Self come and do talks) are are just the place to go if you're not sure what you want, but know you want a book.

DP never goes anywhere else, but I use Amazon.

Yes, I would. I spend lots of money on books, I love amazon, but I also love going into bookshops. Browsing among REAL books is still one of my fav ways of spending my time (and money )

Yes, I do.

I buy a lot of books, but the only things I buy off Amazon are where I know beforehand exactly what I am after (and cant wait!)
I find Amazon a very unsatisfactory browsing experience.
There are several independent bookshops in our town (in southern germany) - but the town centre is generally full of independent traders, so more favourable than the uk.

sounds like a nice idea, could he also sell mailorder on amazon/ bookpeople/ abe books etc as part of his business to get more trade? that way he is not so reliant on just the shop to make the money?

The thing with bookshops is that you need an large initial outlay on stock which may end up staying on the shelf for a long time

Most books are bought on a sale or return basis but the length of time between initial purchase and eventual money back from the publishers/wholesalers can be quite long. All the while you have to pay for premises, utilities, rates, staff etc. Poor cash flow is a major factor in the closure of independent bookshops, especially since the larger players nab most of the "easy" sales.

I think he would have to be very brave to do it, and would really benefit from speaking to someone who has run their own bookshop about the financing aspect.

I love independent bookshops - the whole vibe is so different from a huge chain - however good they are. There are a couple I go to on a regular basis, one of which is a specialist childrens bookshop but also has a small adult section. The books do seem to be tailored to the demographic of the customers / local area so I think it can work if you know your target audience and as everyone has said depending on where you live. The ones I am thinking of are all in very affluent areas (Wimbledon/Richmond/Southfields) with lots of mums who like nice things & not necessarily looking for a deal/ discount! I still buy from Amazon but I am one of those people who like to handle the books and be able to look at the covers and I think that is nice for the kids too - the whole process of browsing / looking at the pictures etc. The Borders near me had a Starbucks in which was often full of mums & buggies and I like the idea of buying a book and sitting down for a few mins for a quiet read so it sounds lovely. No idea if it makes financial sense though!

Good luck

In theory, I would. In practice I'd probably go in, make a mental note of titles I was interested in, then go home and order from Amazon.

I'd use an independent (over Waterstones, or Amazon eg) for impulsive purchases, presents, or things which I thought wouldn't be discounted by much on Amazon, but only if the customer service was excellent.

I admire your dh for thinking about it. As a former bookshop manager (Ottakar's many years ago) I know how hard running a bookshop can be. People always imagine it involves sitting around reading books and having intelligent conversations. My abiding memories were of being physically exhausted at the end of each day from shifting heavy box after heavy box, and my hands bleeding from eczema caused by all the dust that books gather. Wouldn't go back to that for anything!

I would for definate, you can't use amazon to browse so well. Bookshops are just so much better.

poledra is spot on about recommending books, it's why I love waterstones as they do that

We have a couple in the area, the best one is a kids bookshop. "The Golden Treasury". It does a lot events and publicizes its activities pretty well in the local area.

If independents are to work I think they need to remodel themselves a proper bookshop/cafe secondhand trade would work - but then you need a big space it is all a risk. Publishers and writers are worth talking to because they are very supportive. 1 to promote themselves and 2 get in on the independent thing - once you have a reputation, it spreads. New York bookshops are good at this stuff.

Rob