Tag Results
17 posts tagged bookstore
Tiny house trend meets bookstore!
This tiny bookstore is delighting French book worms. What a novel idea.
Check.
Check.
Check.
How many of these signs are you guilty of?
It so rarely happens, but just in case you’ve run out of reasons to buy another book, here are 10 ways that reading makes you happier!
And on that note…
*Trots off to the bookstore*
Shelf catering: tourists offered chance to run a bookshop on holiday
For £150 a week, AirBnB users are invited to live in – and run – The Open Book store in Wigtown, Scotland.
This is the dream. Read more here!
In celebration of Canadian Authors for Indies day (May 2, 2015), we’re highlighting some of our favourite independent bookstores across the country.
Indie Bookstore Spotlight: Words Worth Books
Tell us a little bit about the history of Words Worth Books:
Mandy Brouse and I bought Words Worth Books from the previous owners, Chuck Erion and Tricia Siemens who founded the shop in 1984.
We recently moved the store to another uptown Waterloo location and hope to be here for a long time ourselves.
What made you want to open a bookstore?
As far as taking the shop on, we don’t know how to do anything else, and we can’t see beyond that. Or at least we don’t care to look too hard.
What do you like best about your career in books?
The very best thing about bookselling is the absolute authenticity it provides. Perhaps other retail allows for similar passion, but selling shoes or sporting goods doesn’t seem as authentic. Every day we get to talk enthusiastically to people about something we really do love.
That’s a rarity anywhere, it’s certainly a rarity at one’s job.
What does the book-buying public understand least about independent bookstores?
Independent bookstores and independent business of all kinds provide a tax base for thousands of urban centres in North America. From a purely economic standpoint, everything collapses if that’s not kept up.
But indie bookstores are entirely staffed by readers. Chain stores are not, and if plants don’t get watered they wither away.
What have been some of your favorite (or most memorable) author events?We’ve done author events for twenty years and the best one is probably having former Prime Minister Jean Chretien drop by about five years back.
Actually, we’ve got something on that level coming this fall, I just can’t talk about it yet.
It’s a heck of a perk meeting authors and one of the best parts of the job.
Any strange, wild or crazy-but-true stories?
Crazy stories? The fact that in the press, it’s said constantly that ebooks are taking over.
They’re certainly beyond the early adapter, but they’re far from taking the print option off the table.
A crazy story if ever there was one.
In celebration of Canadian Authors for Indies day (May 2, 2015), we’re highlighting some of our favourite independent bookstores across the country.
Indie Bookstore Spotlight: Bryan Prince Bookseller
Tell us a little bit about the history of Bryan Prince Booksellers
Bryan Prince Bookseller was established in 1989 by Bryan Prince who had been partner, for many years, in the Dundas bookstore Chapman & Prince. The store has always maintained a strong community focus, participating in countless events, fundraisers and programs in the greater Hamilton area.
Tracey Higgins joined the staff as a bookseller in 1990 and Kerry Cranston began her bookselling career in 1994. In 2011 Bryan Prince retired from bookselling and sold the store to Kerry & Tracey, who do their utmost to continue the traditions of the store while adapting to current trends and technology.
What made you want to open a bookstore?
We love books in all their manifestations. We believe that literacy, creativity and a critical mind are so important in developing a thoughtful, engaged citizenry. Whether it is fiction or nonfiction, we are exposing our minds to new ideas and new ways of communication those ideas – we can’t think of many more satisfying careers than fostering and encouraging that process.
What do you like best about your career in books?
The most satisfying part of being a bookseller is connecting a reader with their new favourite author, or the perfect book to suit their needs.
What does the book-buying public understand least about independent bookstores?
Most of our customers understand how difficult it can be for independent booksellers to compete with huge corporations and online retailers who are able to greatly discount books. It is very comforting to know that so many of our customers are very loyal to independents and understand the importance of our existence to ensure diversity and local community in the marketplace.
What is the hardest part about being a bookstore owner in 2012?
The hardest part of being a bookseller right now is the uncertainty of so many things that are completely outside our control: technology trends, the state of the economy and how that effects the average person; fuel & transportation costs, etc.
What types of books does your store stock and/or specialize in?
Bryan Prince Bookseller is a general bookstore, stocking fiction, nonfiction and children’s books. We have a very good special order service and have recently started to stock French titles.
What have been some of your favorite (or most memorable) author events?
One of our most memorable author events was the evening with Robertson Davies and Shyam Selvadurai. It was Shyam’s first reading and Robertson Davies was so kind and gracious with both Shyam Selvadurai and the booksellers from the store. That evening resonated with Tracey every time she rereads one of Robertson Davies’ novels. Aside from that one, the Harry Potter midnight parties were great. They entailed a ridiculous amount of planning and preparation, but worth is all when we saw the hordes of enthusiastic children.
Any strange, wild or crazy-but-true stories?
It’s an unusual day when we don’t have anyone ask a strange question that has nothing to do with bookselling. One of the more difficult conversations I’ve had, though, was trying to convince a customer that the complete Oxford English Dictionary was not available on audio cassette.
In celebration of Canadian Authors for Indies day (May 2, 2015), we’re highlighting some of our favourite independent bookstores across the country.
Indie Bookstore Spotlight: Mosaic Books
Tell us a little bit about the history of Mosaic Books.
Mosaic Books was established in 1968 in Downtown Kelowna, where it was operated by two wealthy sisters for twenty-odd years. It became Kelowna’s largest and most revered bookstore, and was eventually sold to a company in Calgary that had very little interest in the business. As a result of long distance ownership and no management, the store began to tank. At this time, my family was living in the Greater Vancouver Area having established a small chain of family operated bookstores called Black Bond Books. My parents, needing a change of scenery and a more intimate bookstore setting to develop our primary business, BookManager (software and data solutions for indie booksellers) looked at Mosaic Books. Remembering Mosaic Books from our years of travels to Kelowna’s nearby ski hill, my father, being a second generation bookseller, was able to painstakingly analyze the failing bookstore and rebuild its reputation. We enjoyed four great years on a side street in the downtown core. But with the arrival of Chapters, we had to relocate the store to a larger, more central location on the main strip where we currently reside. We are still considered Okanagan’s largest and most respected independent bookstore; a legacy achieved through family value, good old fashioned hard work and customer service.
What made the owners want to open a bookstore?
The main focus for Mosaic’s owners, Michael and Michele Neill, has been their software company, BookManager, one of Canada’s leading data and software providers for independent booksellers and publishers. In order to develop quality software that meets the needs and standards of evolving, modern day bookstores, Michael and Michele required a guinea pig store to discover and test all the problems a regular bookstore faces on a day to day basis. Our goal is to create the best indie bookstore in Canada so we can share our example and knowledge with the rest of the community. What better way to promote BookManager to bookstores than with a flagship store utilizing all the company has to offer?
What made you want to work as a bookseller?
My introduction into the book industry came at a young age, when my parents saw an opportunity for cheap labour and daycare all rolled into one. Both my parents working almost non-stop to build a bookstore and software company, I spent a big portion of my childhood hanging around the back receiving area of Mosaic. Soon that hanging around turned into delabeling returns, flattening boxes, and stickering remainders. I turned 14 and was given the choice of working weekends during the summer break and Christmas, or paying rent at home. My parents are strong believers in earning your way through life, a lesson I didn’t quite agree with at the time but wholly respect and am thankful for now. My involvement steadily increased throughout high school, and after a short stint at UBC in Vancouver, I returned to Kelowna to become fully involved in every aspect of the business. It’s honest to say that I didn’t start out wanting to be a bookseller, but the uniqueness and pride of the industry have me fully engrossed. I have never once felt morally ambiguous selling books; bookstores are the keepers of community, knowledge, and culture.
What do you like best about your job?
The best part of my job is also the most challenging: my completely amazing, and sometimes infuriating coworkers. It’s by no mistake that I work with a group of people I also spend most weekends with. It can be dangerous befriending coworkers to the point of complete comfort. But when done right, it can push the business into a whole new level of creativity and personality. Cheap books, a constant flow of colourful people, and the challenge of increasing sales are all great perks. But what keeps me coming back for more day in and day out is the framework of people I respect and trust.
What does the book-buying public understand least about independent bookstores?
The most glaringly obvious misunderstanding about bookstores is the reason behind American and Canadian printed prices and their often wide gaps, but that’s a problem the industry as a whole faces, not just the indies, so I’ll leave that one alone. A problem indies face exclusively is that a large portion of the book-buying public do not realize our selection is better and ordering service quicker than the big box chains. Because indies do not work on bulk case quantities of titles, we can fill that redundant space with variety and hand-picked gems that may not be in the spotlight but are nonetheless desirable. Not having to go through a chain of systems and central ordering centres like the big boxes do, indies can special order titles very quickly, most of ours arriving within 3-5 business days with no extra cost for shipping. I believe more and more people are recognizing that a big store doesn’t necessarily equate to more variety, but it is a common misconception that I hear every day.
What types of books does your store stock and/or specialize in?
Mosaic Books is a general bookstore, encompassing a little bit on every subject for adults and kids, so we don’t have a particular claim to fame besides all-around awesome. We pride ourselves on the amazing priced and vast selection of remainders or bargain books, numbering 10,000 individual titles in stock at the moment. I have also been able to carve out a niche market for ourselves supplying brand new vinyl records and CDs, and quality, hard to find gift items. Couple that with a huge kids section masterminded by an extremely passionate staffer, and you are hard pressed to leave the store empty handed and not beaming from a good deal.
What have been some of your favorite (or most memorable) author events?Two author events really stick out in my mind, and both were successful for varying reasons. A few years back we hosted an evening with Diana Gabaldon at the local theatre, selling 600+ tickets and a ton of books. Jack Whyte made a guest appearance, he and Diana being long time pals made their on-stage banter was pretty hilarious. She was fantastic to work with, and so generous to her readers, signing everybody’s books and posing for countless photos. We had her at our store ten or so years previous for the grand re-opening of Mosaic at its current location, and we were astounded to have 300 people crammed inside. She’s a real pro, both at writing and speaking, and has a passionate fan-base here in Kelowna.
Two summers ago we also had Grant Lawrence in-store for his book launch Adventures in Solitude. In-town for the Canadian music awards and conference Breakout West, Grant was laid back and entertaining, showcasing his witty CBC radio personality. He was also able to talk Said the Whale, a fantastic Canadian alt group, and Michael Bernard Fitzgerald into performing a small bookstore set after the signing. It was mainly memorable due to the constant PA problems we were having, me having to run home to grab my equipment to get the show going. Red faced and embarrassed at the unexpected setbacks, I was calmed by Grant’s kindness and patience.
Any strange, wild or crazy-but-true stories from your days at Mosaic Books?
My most crazy moment at Mosaic came last summer when a woman with a large gift bag walked out the store, setting off our security gates. Unfazed, she continued up the street to her bike locked to a post. I immediately followed her outside and politely explained that she had set the security gate off and if she would kindly return inside so we could deactivate whatever was triggering them. “I’m in a hurry!” she exclaimed, and with one swift motion pulled her bike free and back handed me in the chest. Completely taken aback by the assault, my pride got the best of me and I gave chase to a woman madly peddling away on her bike. Zigzagging through the downtown alleyways, the woman soon realized she had just pissed off a habitual runner and store owner. Keeping pace with a bike is exhausting, and soon the distance between us widened until she turned a corner and disappeared from view. I kept chase, and eventually caught a glimpse of her once again in the distance. She had stopped to talk to a fellow vagrant, and I used this opportunity to politely borrow a passerby’s cell phone and call the police. Mid conversation with dispatch, the accused thief looked back and saw me staring right at her. Once again she took off, heading towards our very busy highway. Handing the phone back to its owner and shouting, “Send back up!” I once again bolted. Keep in mind it is a blazing 32 degrees Celsius, and I was wearing jeans and a dress shirt, so not exactly optimal running conditions. Traffic whizzing by at breakneck speed, the thief was temporarily blocked off at the highway, giving me some valuable catch-up. Throwing caution to the wind, she decided to play Frogger and traverse the 6 lanes of moving traffic. With so much adrenaline skewing my reality, I also decided it was a good choice to play dodge the auto. Emerging safely on the other side, I continued the pursuit for two kilometers, having run a grand total of about 4k. At this point the woman was once again disappearing into the distance, and my hopes dwindled. About to stop and admit defeat, I saw up ahead that the woman had dismounted and started locking her bike up outside an apartment building. With my last bit of gusto, I sprinted towards her building, reaching the lobby doors before she could slam them shut. Throwing the door wide open, I raced after her up four flights of stairs, through a door, and down a hallway. The woman had managed to reach her place, unlock the door and slide in, but before she could slam it shut I threw my foot in its path. “Why are you following me?!” She shouted. “You… stole… books… from… me…” I panted, barely able to see. Our loud showdown had attracted all the other tenants into the hallway, a free show of sorts. “I’m calling the police on you, stalker!” the woman threatened, but her scare tactic was no use on someone with a squeaky conscious. “Fine then, call the police. In fact, I called them before and they will be here in moments,” I lied, “and they will clear this whole thing up.” Eyes locked, brows slanted, we stood motionless, contemplating our next move. “Fine then, stalker, have ‘em!” She tossed her bag into my arms, at which I stumbled back in awe, releasing my foot from the entrance. The door slammed shut and locked. I looked down into the bag, which was chock full of books… our books. Two hundred dollars’ worth. That was the sweetest, sweatiest walk back to work. After that, theft pretty much dried up at Mosaic Books; I guess word had spread that Mosaic’s manager is one bad mother that will chase you back to your home if he catches you stealing. Since that day, I keep a skateboard at work and cell phone in my pocket, just in case.
In celebration of Canadian Authors for Indies day (May 2, 2015), we’re highlighting some of our favourite independent bookstores across the country.
Indie Bookstore Spotlight: Librarie Paragraphe
Librairie Paragraphe is one of the most renowned independent bookstores in Montreal attracting book lovers from all over the city. Just across Sherbrooke from McGill University, neighbouring mega bookstores and a Starbucks, it is one of a handful of English language bookstores in Montreal and THE hangout for bibliophiles.
Tell us a little bit about the history of Librarie Paragraphe.
Librarie Paragraphe Bookstore was opened 1981 by Richard King and Jonathan Penney. In 2000 we were sold to Groupe Archambault, however, they have left us to function as an independent English bookstore. Paragraphe also has a wholesale division that sells directly to libraries in Quebec and a Higher Education department that sells directly to University students. On top of all this we participate in almost 100 book events a year.
What made you want to work at Paragraphe?
I love people and selling. Being at Paragraphe for almost 25 years I have combined both.
What do you like best about your job?
Interaction with different people, from my 20 employees to the thousands of customers. It has also give me the chance to interact with hundreds of authors the last few years.
What types of books does your store stock and/or specialize in?
We are a general bookstore, however, being across McGill University we tend to carry more academic type of books: History, Philosophy and Cultural Studies to name a few.
What have been some of your favorite (or most memorable) author events?We had David Sedaris in store. We had over 400 people in store and we had scheduled to close at 9pm. However, David was so giving with his time that we had to delay closing until almost 1 am the next morning.
Any strange, wild or crazy-but-true stories from your days at Paragraphe?
I had an event with one of my childhood sports heroes. We attracted over 200 people to the event. As the event was finishing up he went back to his hotel. However, he mentioned that he was kind of bored. I didn’t realize it at the moment but it occurred to me a few minutes after he left. So I called the hotel and told him we were coming over. There he was waiting for us in his bath robe in a 5 star hotel bar. We sat there for most of the night with a few of my employees drinking as this icon shared sport stories of the greatest hockey players of all time.
In celebration of Canadian Authors for Indies day (May 2, 2015), we’re highlighting some of our favourite independent bookstores across the country.
Indie Bookstore Spotlight: Kidsbooks
Tell us a little bit about the history of Kidsbooks:
Kidsbooks started in 1983 by Phyllis who was a children’s librarian during the previous ten years. In 1990 Kelly came on staff, and became a partner of the business in 2000. In 1994 we opened a second store in North Vancouver and in 2007 a third location in South Surrey. We love connecting kids and books and have built strong partnerships with many educational and library organizations over the years.
What made you want to open a bookstore?
I wanted to continue working with children’s books and children, but in a more independent and more direct way than was possible in the public library.
What do you like best about your career in books?
Many things! I love meeting the authors and seeing the effect they have on children who love to hear what their favourite authors have to say about their books and about life in general. I love discovering a wonderful book that I can put into customers’ hands assuring them that they will also love the book – and when they come back to thank us for sharing a great book with them, it is a most gratifying feeling!
What does the book-buying public understand least about independent bookstores?
I think they don’t appreciate the amount of hard work and multi-tasking that is involved in running a business and especially one that requires such a huge amount of product knowledge.
What types of books does your store stock and/or specialize in?
Our specialty is children’s books – included however are books for parents, and not just books about parenting, but books that adults will want to read for their own pleasure.
What have been some of your favorite (or most memorable) author events?Lemony Snicket’s first appearance, I mean Daniel Handler; Ally Carter; Mo Willems; Kenneth Oppel and Scott Westerfeld. But really they have all been magical because of the wonderful audiences that come out to hear the authors’ experiences.
Any strange, wild or crazy-but-true stories ?
Wild but totally true: Kidsbooks was the first store in Canada to sell Harry Potter, one season before anyone else! And Raincoast was able to capitalize on Bloomsbury’s oversight in not selling rights in Canada, thanks to our early enthusiasm for the series!
In celebration of Canadian Authors for Indies day (May 2, 2015), we’re highlighting some of our favourite independent bookstores across the country.
Indie Bookstore Spotlight: Bolen Books
The independent bookstore is a cultural and community hub – authors are introduced, works read aloud to an audience and ideas are shared.
Tell us a little bit about the history of Bolens.
Bolen Books was founded in 1975 from the now defunct chain of Julian bookstores by my father and then taken over by my mother in 1977. Mel Bolen, my mother, grew the store from 800sq feet to our present size of just under 20 000 square feet in 5 moves within our mall. I have been involved seriously with the store since 1990. I worked here before that but more as an employee than an owner.
What made you want to work as a bookseller?
I didn’t really want to work as a bookseller at first to tell you the truth. It was something my parents were doing so naturally I rebelled against it. However, after I returned to the store in 1990 and came to understand the operation of the company, selling books became so much more motivating to me. My deep love for books only happened for me in my 20’s when my daughter was young and I began to re-read her my favourite kids’ books. I then began exploring what I loved as an adult.
What do you like best about your job?
What I like best about my job is how what we sell is directly in line with what is going on in the world — whatever is popular, whatever is topical, and whatever is important to the world. Our store staff and customers remain current, as well as being completely respectful of the past. I guess the other thing I love is how our customers are unique even compared to other stores within the city and this individuality allows Bolen Books to read the communities wants and needs and fulfil them.
What does the book-buying public understand least about independent bookstores?
I think the public doesn’t understand margins. In most retail places, the price of the product is invoiced at wholesale cost and the retailer makes a decision on what they think they can sell the product for based on what the market will bear. In our industry, we receive the books at selling price and are given a discount on that price. In order to run our businesses successfully, we cannot be selling significant amounts of books below the suggested retail price or our business model quickly crumbles.
What types of books does your store specialize in?
We are a general bookstore; however we have a huge children’s section and staff devoted to that area. We have an amazing science fiction fantasy section as well as a very good history section. Because of our demographics here in Victoria, we also sell a tremendous amount of British books.
What are you reading right now?
Right now, I am reading Richard Ford’s Canada book, the John Irving book and a book called Let’s Pretend this Never Happened by Jenny Lawson.
What have been some of your favorite (or most memorable) author events?
Over the years, we had some of the most amazing events in bookselling history! We hosted Anne Rice who had the most riders in her contract out of anyone we have ever seen. We had to import Tab and have 6 different kinds of halls throat drops for her at all times and her back had to be against a wall. At Chuck Palahniuk’s event, someone passed out because of the story he was reading. We hosted with great success many hockey legends from goalie Vladislav Tretiak to Jean Beliveau to Eddie Shack. We had Robert Jordon, A.J. Jacobs, and David Sedaris. One of our proudest moments was when Robert Wiersema, one of our staff, was first published. We hosted every one of his book launches.
What book are you, or will you, hand-sell with a vengeance?
Last holiday season, I decided to give a money back guarantee on the Night Circus. I felt that book was the kind of book that would appeal to lots of different genres and different age groups. The book sold very very well for us and I only gave money back to two people.
I would like to find another book like this to stand behind. As I am forced to spend less and less time on the floor, taking a stand like this on a particular book is a kind of hand selling I can still do. It may be Canada by Richard Ford, but I am not quite done reading it so I reserve the right to change my mind. I have been selling Luther: The Calling to anyone that loves a good mystery. I thought Neil Cross did a fantastic job with that book.