The Best Place to Open a Bookshop
Where is the best place to open a secondhand bookshop
Fancy opening a used bookstore ? The first question to ask yourself is where is the best place to open a bookshop when so many have closed and are closing
The answer is …
Saudi Arabia
Bookstores are opening and thriving in the Kingdom, especially so in Riyadh. Students are leading the charge as they seek cheaper text books and scholars who seek rare and out-of-print titles.
The middle east has a centuries old tradition of producing, dealing in and collecting rare books and manuscripts so why this should be newsworthy I’m not sure.
Quite what sparked this phenomenon I cannot say but it does show that when people embrace the concept of reading and enjoying books of all types they turn to used bookshops.
Let’s hope that means there is a future for those left in this country !
With ever rising rents and overheads, a downward pressure on prices coupled with reduced public interest life for the bricks and mortar bookseller has never been more challenging.
Local communities always cite the presence of a used bookstore as of integral importance to a community and a huge cultural benefit.
That being so, it would be nice if all those who feel that way would take the time to support their shops.
Check out your local store before looking on Amazon - keep the money in the community and help the shop survive.
If you fancy the challenge of running one you now know where to set up business - Saudi Arabia.
Let me know how you get on !
Little Brother said,
November 9, 2007 @ 8:28 am
Rod,
Fancy Bahrain Airport for your first shop? It’s the world’s greatest duty free.
My a**e.
LB
George said,
November 16, 2007 @ 5:50 pm
19 years in the book business tells me;
If you are going to sell books written in English then you must have access to a constant supply of those books.
Therefore, common sense dictates the best place to open a bookstore is in the centre of a large population in a very visible location. The incoming inventory will quickly go from a trickle to a flood.
Setting up a store in a location where you can sell books but have difficulty replenishing your inventory is okay if you have tons of books and only need another sales outlet or if you were planning to go out of business anyway.
In the long run continued success in the book business (and probably any business) has more to do with constantly improving your knowledge about what sells quickly and thereby limiting your investment in dead stock.
As Dorothy said “There’s no place like home!” and there is a book out there called “Acres of Diamonds” which complements the quotation “The fault lies not in our stars … but in ourselves.”
The monetary end of this business is secondary (as long as you can pay your bills) - it is the lifestyle that is most rewarding. Enjoy!
Rod said,
November 16, 2007 @ 6:14 pm
Hi George
you’re spot on the money again !
Central good visible locations are getting something of a problem though.
Your criteria in this town would cost me £100,000 (about $200,000 US) a year in rent alone for a reasonable sized central shop.
Many towns in the UK now can no longer support a secondhand bookshop, certainly nobody young and new is coming into the game - a shame.
Regards
Rod
George said,
January 22, 2008 @ 6:33 am
Hi again Rod,
I hope things are going well with you.
Wow! So your sales would have to be in the range of, or exceed, $800,000+ US.
Still … it would be interesting to have a go at it … smile. Maybe someday. I’m sure someone will - and they will probably be successful.
All in all this 2007 turned out to be a decent year here in Calgary even though several used books stores closed for one reason or another and at least a couple of others are expected to close down this year.
2008 will be yet another test because of the gloom about the impending financial disaster the present Republican government has blissfully overlooked in this hemisphere.
Oh well, if this was easy everyone would be doing it.
All my best to booksellers everywhere.