What makes a good bookshop?

Question

Im looking into opening an independent store. I know most small business go into the ground after 18 months and think the way to go is either (a) location or (b) niche product.

What kind of store do you wish to go too, why?

And please browse this question, dont turn up, have a coffee, thyan put it back onteh shelf and order from amazon. thats just rude.

Answer 1

When I buy something I go to one of two places:
1 - the Internet or big cheap store (amazon or HMV)
2 - specialist shop with great staff.
Your shop has to be in category 2. I buy all my music on line except heavy metal music, I travel 20 miles on the train to go to York to get heavy metal music from a special shop there. I like the fact the guy there says "If you like this band you should try this one" and also when you ask "what is this singer like?" he will say "a bit like Ozzy but not as good". It's great that he is helpful, knows the stock and does not exaggerate how good a mediocre product is.
I also buy graphic novels from a local shop because of the standard of service. I like the way he will order in specific books for me and also e-mails me when they arrive in stock. He has also begun to stock some lines I have ordered in the past so that my friends who have borrowed books off me can get copies too.

Basically product knowledge, enthusiasm and service are what keeps me buying from shops, the Internet may win out on price but as often as not I will pay a bit more for good advice and a friendly conversation.

One last thing - stock a lot of Doctor Who books. This show is fantastically popular and has won loads of awards, the books are great and I am sure you will sell loads of copies.

Good luck with your shop - if it is Yorkshire make sure to tell me about it and I may drop by!

Answer 2

Have a sample copy of what you sell that people can flick through without messing up all the others on the shelf. I hate when the only book is all messed up. Kind of like having samples in a perfume shop. Knowledgeable staff. This is so important. I try to buy from my local independent book shop as much as possible even if it does cost a bit more because they know EVERYTHING! I go in and say, my son's just turned six and we've read blah blah blah and I can't find anything else like that and they always recommend something good. At Smiths they just point at the shelves. I can then ask for adult stuff and they know about that too. Beats any gimic. You could also do kids readings in the holidays. Kids love it and it gets the parents in browsing and buying.
How about a buy back section? A second hand section would be great especially if you get a good stock of uni books - assuming you have a uni close by.
as one above said, have a good stock and not just the bestsellers list that people will buy from Tesco anyway. Stock as much as you can fit in!! We want Louis Sachar books - Marvin Redpost and no-one near us stocks them.

Answer 3

A book shop that has an atmosphere not one of the huge chain store like Waterstones.

Assistants that have a knowledge of the stock could help you with finding a book,are well read and passionate about literature.

Good lighting, places to relax somewhere you enjoy just looking around.
Not sure about a coffee bar unless you can make sure that people do not take the books to the tables while they drink not easy.

A supervised play area for young children and I have always wanted a story teller after seeing the film "You have got mail" the person reads books to the children (just a romantic notion as most kids would hate it and rather be on a computer playing games)

Location plays a big part as well a place that was easy to reach and did not have a zillion other book shops within 5 miles of it.

I love books and wish luck if you venture into the business.

Answer 4

A good art section will bring loyal customers. Most places have a pathetic art section supplied only by tashen. It is a niche market, but you could end up with loyal customers. Obviously it doesnt have to be an art , thats just my interest. I do however often turn to amazon, purely because I cant get the books I want without waiting for bookshops to order which takes forever and is more expensive. Look for what you're local community bookstores are missing.

Also the world is severely lacking in good second hand books, but that takes time to build but keep it in mind.

The best bookshop I've ever been in is Shakespeare and Company in Paris.

Also dont hire thick staff who have never read a book. there is nothing more infuriating.

Answer 5

How about offering an online service too, or perhaps a book-finding service.

Diversity would attract me, that and the possibility of buying old books as well as new ones.

I think the nicest thing about good bookshops is the knowledgeability and willingness of the assistants to help when you're not quite sure what you need - Foyles in Lodnon are a good example of this - I remember emailing them once with the plot of a book I'd read, wondering if they could help me identify it - they not only identified it for me, but emailed me back within 24 hours informing me that it was currently out of print, they had a second-hand copy and would I like it. A smaller bookshop wouldn't have the capacity for quite such extensive service, but it's a good goal.

Also, atmosphere is important - comfy chairs, cozy corners and maybe a hot chocolate machine (but not near anything expensive!). Make it a second home, enjoy being there yourself and welcome the customers - I'll come!

Answer 6

Have someone working there who capable of saying 'don't read that book, it's not what you are looking for'. I will go to a bookshop time and again if I get the feeling that the people there really care. Sell me something that is not what I want and I'll never go back.

Read a lot, and encourage your staff to do the same.

I also like it when staff know their way round the shop without having to consult the computer. It shows that they have been given something more challenging to do than turn up on time every day.

Answer 7

The first thing you have to know before openning a store is to ask yourself about what you want to offer people. Then you have to think about the place you want to open your store and ask yourself the following questions : are there any similar store in this place or around this place and (if yes) where, what type of client goes in, why do they go there, when (what are the days and hours this store is open), how many peoples work in that store. All those questions will help you to describe your own project.
For my part, a store where I wish to go is coffee or restaurant or anywhere else. The most important is that this place is a comfortable place where people smile and joke and are ready to help you at anytime in anyway (as far as they can of course).

Wish it answers your question

Answer 8

I want to go to a bookshop that meets the following criteria:

1. It has a hell of a lot of books in it, by which I mean many many different books in many many categories, not lots of copies of the same books I can get anywhere else.

2. It's quiet, preferably without any kind of musak at all, although I'll settle for some kind of undemanding Cuban stuff if you insist, with maybe a bit of Mozart's less dramatic stuff to vary the mood. But really, if I wanted to listen to music, I'd put my earphones in.

3. Serves good coffee and cakes. Not for me, you understand - again, if I wanted to drink coffee I'd go to a cafe. It's for the poor b******* I go to bookshops with, who will have to sit for hours while I go over every single shelf in case I missed something.

4. Is open late, preferably to around 8 or 9pm or so. You don't need to open early in the morning on my account.

Many thanks. Let me know when you open. Incidentally, the idea of a bookshop that only sells books in a single category (i.e. crime or sci-fi) is my idea of bookshop hell.

My top 3 bookshops in the whole world, for what it's worth:

1. Armchair Books, Edinburgh

2. Massolit Books, Cracow

3. Hodges Figgis, Dublin

Answer 9

A large variety of books that are organized neatly into specified categories. I dislike going into Barnes and Noble and not being able to find the Thin Man or any Salinger books other tan Catcher in the Rye. Also, try to stock up on hard-to-find-books like Principia Discordia or the Witch and the Priest (I believe that's the title). Neat shelves (Star Wars novels in the biography section? Oh God, no) and more fiction books than comic books (too many people stop into a book store to get the latest manga/anime/whatever the heck than actual books). And couches! Clean couches in well-lit areas for reading are much more preferable than having to sit on a carpet, leaning against a bookcase (and should stop people from having to step over the students lounging in the aisles with their bookbags; have you seen that? If I have to trip over another college student or Asian kid reading Fruit Baskets or whatever, I'll scream). Basiclly a well-orgnaized, well-stocked, comfortable place. You can tally bring in more money if it's situated near a college (and if has more than one floor).

Answer 10

I adore reading, it one of my main passions, in fact no its my only passion. Where i live the waterstones is in a really old and grand building, its so big. i love the idea of being lost in there all day, just taking my time and not feeling like i'm being pressured into buying anything. I love to be able to pick up a book and read the first chapter if i want to , but then not have to buy it. For me a perfect book shop would be filled with old books people have donated, there isn't anything more inspiring than picking up a book in a charity shop and reading any inscriptions people have put in it. The books wouldn't be ridiculously priced. Where i went to uni there was a tiny 50p book store with hundreds of books in it, the bonus was because they were so cheap you just gave them back at the end and he could re sell them, it was a cool way to profit and you also didn't feel like you we're going to collapse under financial strain of buying the book!!! It'd have a be on a kooky side street with reasonable soft lighting, places to get comfy and have a quick read and also reasonably priced (maybe like the 50p man) and most of all have th the most extensive choice of books known to man! That's what would make it a good book shop!