What would you want from the IDEAL children's bookshop?

[Spink]

dh and I have been thinking for a while about starting a business together, and have decided we'd like to set up a specialist children's bookshop (having been a little surprised at how pants the children's sections are in the big bookshops, and at how few specialist children's ones there are). It is very exciting but a little daunting too....

The idea is that as well as selling books, we would offer lots of other stuff, like storytelling, having a space for babies to play safely on the floor, staff who really know their stuff about child development & appropriate/good reads, a cafe, etc etc

I'd really appreciate your advice - what would you want from the ideal children's bookshop?

seven stories is great - but i think more for adults than children.....

Popsycal, it seems Newcastle and surrounding area is the place to be for Childrens' books.
I've been in your shop by the way, and it is very lovely.

Blimey. looks like the shops already out there (though thankfully for us not that many of them) are wonderful...
we'll have to make sure we're a safe distance away!

just to add - seven stories is waaaay more than a book shop. It has had LOADS of money thrown at it......

fibernie - I like it a lot
Are you in Whitley?

Publicity-wise:

• make sure your fliers/leaflets are included in all the Bookstart packs (maybe a voucher for use at your shop to bring new parents in)

-every time theres an event such as Book Day or new release of something like Harry Potter organise an event at the shop and invite the local newspaper along. Get your photos in the paper as much as possible.

-forge links with community groups (eg donate books to a SureStart group/playgroup) and get this in the local papers too.

No, in Newcastle, but have friends there. Was walking along the promenade yesterday in fact.

fibernie

we are closer to newcastle than whitley

Sounds lovely. I like the idea of comfy seating and toys/books for the toddlers to enjoy.

Not wanting to discourage you, but I've worked in book retail in the past and bookshops are generally struggling to compete with online bookstores such as amazon so unless you include some clever alternative money making ideas in your business plan, you might struggle to keep it going. How about making it some kind of social meet up place / play group club, etc.? A cafe serving healthy snacks? A soft play area?

Check out The Ceramic Experience for ideas. I know it's not a bookshop, but it does provide a lovely place for parents to chill out and have a snack while smaller kids play, and older kids can create lovely painted pottery. We've got one nearby and it's a really lovely place to spend the odd morning now and again.

Good luck. I really hope you come up with a good plan.

as uberalice said: I think that is what our local bookshop does really well - it uses its upstairs to generate lots of revenue

thanks uberalice - that is what worries us.
I hope we will be able to offer something more - since having ds early this year, I have been a little dismayed at the dearth of places to go and relax with the babe, especially now the summer is over. All the baby events/activities I've found have been pretty pricey - about £4 or £5 a go.
I'd love to be able to go somewhere I can plonk ds on the floor somewhere soft and safe, with toys and other babies, while I keep an eye on him and relax with a cup of tea... and maybe pay 50p or a £1 for some singalong nursery rhymes or stories..

no shelves above the height of the head of a ten year old. although you might want some seperate adult height shelves for special books

a pram park.

rhyme time, story time, baby and toddler reading time (my mum does this at the local library they love it)

either a selection of beanbags/seats or a box full of nice small rugs so that children can sit and look through the books wihtout havig to sit on the floor/carpet.

speaking of which have wood floors, they are a lot easier to clean up after sicky, sticky, pooey children

think about your storage for your orders and returns and books that are embargoed. There is nothing worse than the scabby books to be returned that are still hanging round the bottom shelves of the display tables in waterstones (can you tell I used to work there)

have really good themed displays rather than just having book posters up. Pick a book/theme a month you can use this as a marketing tool but it would also be a really good way to decorate your 'reading corner'

I know it is nice for children to look at the books they are going to buy but I wouldn't suggest comfy seating, that is what the library is for! You don't want to be discounting books that have been ruined by pre-reading imo - profit, profit, profit!

You could have a seperate room for reading clubs/circles to use/hire out and you could havew a story time etc for small children that will sit on the floor but as I rule I should think you wouldn't want to encourage people to sit around too much.

talking of other activities we could base in the shop, how interested in (and how much would you be willing to pay) for:-

a) storytelling / nursery rhyme sessions
b) craft & art sessions
c) baby massage
c) yoga classes for parents, with babes in a creche on the premises (or in a storytelling session) - I guess these would have to be relatively short, 1/2 hr or so
d)signed readings/ multisensory readings for children with SEN
e)drawing/writing competitions
f)support groups for mums.. in my previous life I've worked with PND, and I wonder if women would feel better going somewhere non-medical for help when they are struggling with PND - or 'just' baby blues
... I used to also teach baby play sessions, giving info and showing parents toys (mainly household objects masquerading as toys!) & play for different developmental levels.. would this be welcome??

Any other activities you would like to see?

..

Regular reading clubs (say fortnightly) for older children 7-10s, 10-12s where children can be dropped off and left for the session.

Would you have to get into all sorts of permissions/insurances though if you have children left? Might be better to make the parents stay and do the parenting

Also, I think you might need to go careful with charging for storytime/craft activities, as many libraries do stuff like this now and don't charge.

the other things sound lovely.

Spink, just to let you know I have done a colossal post on your other thread

(My two would like to put their names down for the reading groups roisin suggests.)

Don't want to be negative here, but do research your overheads carefully. Independent bookselling is incredibly hard atm, you will not get the wholesale prices that the supermarkets and the biggies get and the gross margin on books is smaller than, for example, gifts.
On a positive note, things like service and a "community feel" are the reasons the few remaining independents are surviving, so you're on the right track.
Love your ideas, wish you were near me!

Also WestCountryLass is right, if you encourage a lot of sitting around you will get undesirables that are very hard to budge!
(Was a bookseller for many years, now independent retail, another sector)
Just spotted uberalices post, sorry I didn't acknowledge before.

I have a fantastic children's bookshop up the road and one of their biggest strengths (as well as getting lots of authors in to do signings) is that they know their books. They read them all.

I go in, tell them what my children are interested in etc and they suggest books. They haven't put a step wrong in the 14 years I've been using them.

They have a box of books and toys for the toddlers and they offer a discount to the local schools.

Thank goodness I have the DTs so we don't have to graduate across the road to the adult bookshop.

Yes MarsLady, that knowledge is priceless, and you just don't get it in the "biggies".
We did rather well with classy greetings cards too, but of course that depends on what you have on offer near you already.

I do agree with westcountrylass; allowing people time and space to be comfortable is great, but I think she's absolutely right that if you have the space, you need to dedicate a seperate room to activities, crafts, story times, meetings, etc; you WILL get people using you as a public lounging area if all your squashy sofas etc are in the main selling area.

Sell classic kids books in other languages.

We teach our children to read English with picture and storybooks but its so difficult to find proper stories, (like bearhunt) in French, Italian, German etc.

We recently had a couple of exchange kids to stay, they didn't have much English but loved having the Julia Donaldson books read to them.