An ideal bookshop

[Newjobnewstartbooks]

If you lived in a small town, what would you want from an independent bookshop? Clubs? Coffee? Wine? Toddler reading? Cheap?

I'd want it to be secondhand books and there to be an old armchair in the corner with a cat permanently sleeping on it.

Now that is talking my book language! Definitely on the second hand books, might have to bring your own cat.

I'd want it to be like Borders

So yes there would need to be a cafe included

Comfy chairs, tea and cake, loads of books, author readings, talks and signings.

However my favourite bookshop was a house that sold second hand books. They were stacked all over the place over several floors. I spent many an afternoon browsing.

No children.

For me, a good selection of books across a variety of genres including fiction/non fiction, attractively displayed and packaged and a quiet, pleasant browsing experience is the most important thing. I mostly buy books in person as opposed to online when I'm looking for a present or a treat for myself rather than anything specific so I'm definitely looking to be tempted by something unusual or different rather than the standard bestsellers I could pick up in the supermarket. Things like signed copies or first editions or illustrated/decorative editions are always nice. I always like a bookshop that has both new and secondhand on offer but not many seem to offer this?

Personally I don't really care for wine and coffee and all that (just takes away space from the books IME!) but maybe it does draw in a different crowd? Definitely no toddlers for me (shudder) although again I guess running events including some child friendly ones is a good way to get people in? Cheap is a bonus but again I am prepared to pay a bit more than Amazon/online prices for the better experience...

A nice little coffee shop. Toddler mornings great idea, similar to the story / rhyme time they do at local libraries. We need more of this x

Oh I do miss Borders.
I liked being able to buy American publications (mostly an awful lot of chick lit 😬)

cute assistants asleep on the books to keep them warm also known as cats, and points given to the first person who mentiones allergies

🤣

Our local bookshop has a loyalty scheme so every time we buy a book we get a stamp and then after so many stamps we get £5 off our next book. They are also knowledgeable about a variety of books/genres and so make good recommendations. It is a small family run bookshop that has been going for years!

There is an indie book shop near me that only sells books by women, has cake, has wine on a night, book club, author readings, opens at 8am and a few nights a week is open until 8pm plus has occasional later stuff. They also have a loyalty card with a stamp for every book you buy and when you get to 10 books you get free drink and cake.

So it should be either that or like Barter Books in Alnwick. Huge, sofas, real fires (multiple fires), cafe and shelves and shelves and shelves of second hand books.

A loyalty scheme is top of my ideas. As well as read a book - recommend a book. Plus money off for returning and swapping. Coffee and cake but quietly done to not annoy the browsers. And toddlers would be advertised so others could avoid that time!

The bookshop from You've got Mail that Meg Ryan's character owned, but throw in a cafe with coffee, tea, cakes and sandwiches.

OMG barter books is my fave! I've only been there once but the roaring fires, book selections and the food are all amazing!!

Cafe, book club, author events, loyalty scheme. Armchairs. Heaven.

I can tell you what I don't want if that helps.
No dogs allowed. A bookshop cat is absolutely fine though.
Also don't try and combine being a cafe and a book shop unless you have a completely separate space for the tables. It's really annoying when you can't browse the shelves properly because there's people sitting at tables in front of them.

Coffee (but not sandwiches etc, it's primarily a bookshop). Children welcome but no noisy activities, quiet and calm atmosphere like libraries used to be but aren't any more. Armchairs as well as tables and chairs. Hub for community groups, bookclubs etc but those to be in the evenings unless there's a separate function room otherwise you can't rely on being able to browse or have coffee during the day. Friendly, knowledgeable staff goes without saying. Easy way of doing click and collect for non-stock books.

Thank you for all the brilliant feedback! I agree about the bookshop cafe combo - I visited one and no one was even looking at the books. I was horrified!

I opened one of these. We opened 6 days a week to break even. The most important thing is to choose your location very wisely. People said we were expensive, but those same people would go
up the road to queue to spend the price of one of our books on an ice cream.

I would follow some good indies, elsewhere in the country to see what they offer.

The strength in ours is owner experience. Both worked in publishing prior. They have lots of information to share.

They also have contacts which provide us with author meet and greet and regular ‘signed by the author’ books.

https://www.facebook.com/littleriponbookshop

A book club - several - literary fiction, self help, perhaps Polish language club or whatever there would be demand for.
Saturday morning children's story club - young and older divisions
Warm
Armchairs (but not with school children taking them over after school)
A cat
Smelling beautiful - coffee and jasmine
Tea and coffee making facilities
Children's play area (enclosed)
Creative writing class in the evening
Storytelling sessions for adults and children
Competitions for book review and cover art
Local self published section
Good music without lyrics
Staff who treat it as a vocation, love reading and have caring demeanor. Bonus points for people who like to bake and hot book guy.
Book swap section
Frequent book signings and readings
If facilities allow, film club, possibly of movie adaptations of books.
Reminiscence morning once a month where older people share stories.
A wall for people to share photos, with captions. Either of themselves reading, booktok style pictures, events

These are all fantastic ideas! I may struggle with the hot book guy though. I’ll have to see if they can be hired for special events..

That is annoying- a book will last so much longer as well!

Really well-informed staff who read. I was very WTF at the staff member in the Leicester Waterstones who had shelved their one copy of Anne Enright’s The Green Road they had just had delivered in crime because ‘I thought the cover looked crime-y’.

God I loved Borders 😭

My wants/must-haves are:
• plenty of seating, incl chairs on their own tucked away, because sometimes I hate sitting with people. My nightmare is when all that's left free is 'the chatty corner' table where you're inviting conversation, I'd rather stand all day.
• a clearance rack or box
• a noticeboard - there is a much higher chance of discovering an interesting new hobby, or great event through a flyer posted in a bookstore than at Tesco's.
• the smell of fresh coffee...
• a telephone for the store, even if it's a mobile that sits by the till
• a real cat snoozing on the counter
• late evening hours