Bookstore Profiles

Is your shop profiled here? Send us a blurb or two and some photos or a video, we’d love to give you some free exposure.

Brick and Mortar Thoughts

Some tips and suggestions from the Pros and how to operate a successful shop.

Elsewhere on the Net...

Some links to our fellow bookstore owners blog posts, web sites and any book related newsworthy items.

Opening a Bookstore

Some stories & shared knowledge on opening a bookstore. Learn all the ins and outs of getting your bookstore open.

Recommended Reading

Some good books both to help you operate more effectively and some just to enjoy, always with bookselling in mind.

Home » Archive by Category

Articles in Brick and Mortar Thoughts

When do I hire staff for my bookshop?
Sunday, 28 Feb, 2010 – 23:16 | 5 Comments
When do I hire staff for my bookshop?

When you hire an employee, it means that you take a step back and a step up to bookstore manager. You are doing less of what you love – that of dealing with books – and more of your time is spent setting up meaningful work for an employee…

Old books and old buildings make for “interesting” remodeling projects
Wednesday, 24 Feb, 2010 – 18:53 | One Comment
Old books and old buildings make for “interesting” remodeling projects

A remodeling project at a bookstore goes awry when the owner discovers a boarded over door in the wall. It sounds like the set up for a horror novel, but this sort of thing is common if you’re remodeling an old bookstore.

Must-have books in your bookshop
Tuesday, 23 Feb, 2010 – 22:19 | 2 Comments
Must-have books in your bookshop

Must-haves in Your Stock (II)
Part I of Must-haves in Your Stock
By HeeJin Lee
It’s great to hear from those of you who have also been thinking about your must-haves. One bookshop that carries an eclectic selection …

Established bookshop owners: Are You Getting Bored Yet?
Sunday, 21 Feb, 2010 – 21:19 | 3 Comments
Established bookshop owners: Are You Getting Bored Yet?

“Do any of you feel like exploding from your chair when you’re at work?” Maybe some of you enjoy the experience so much that you never tire of it. I wouldn’t say that I’m “tired,” but I want to do more. Is this a claustrophobic chronic disease of the independent bookseller?

Bookstore Speak: Words of the Trade
Sunday, 7 Feb, 2010 – 21:15 | 4 Comments
Bookstore Speak:  Words of the Trade

All booksellers of used books will have at one time or another come across the word dog-eared. What does that word mean anyway, and where did it come from? Dog eared pages are less common in today’s fast turn around of used books. Many used book are almost new. It might be that more readers are using the bookmarks we stick in our books for sale, who knows? But the term dog eared means a turned down corner of a book page.

What worked and what didn’t in the bookshop, 2009 edition
Friday, 8 Jan, 2010 – 10:54 | 3 Comments
What worked and what didn’t in the bookshop, 2009 edition

Thanks to a snowstorm and a fairly quiet day at the store, I was able to sneak into my office to begin sorting out the holiday piles. As I crunched numbers, I looked …

How much book knowledge should booksellers possess?
Saturday, 2 Jan, 2010 – 18:29 | 7 Comments
How much book knowledge should booksellers possess?

Ever feel like you just don’t belong in the book business? Ever think that you don’t know half of what you should in order to be a proper bookseller?