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.

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

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!