Nialle's Actual Real-Life Bookstore

[KoNeko]

Excellent. I can't wait to get a visual tour of the bookstore!

[Fluffy]

So I'm still trying to find the camera, a year and a half later But there should be wedding pictures floating around soon, and I'll keep trying to find the darn camera. Meanwhile... things are really starting to pick up now, since I've got like 7000 books listed for sale online and have really worked to organise the place and add to the various sections, and our Killer Bunny night is gaining popularity. Has anyone else here tried Killer Bunnies and the Quest for the Magic Carrot? That game is truly awesome

I'm curious: what do most of you expect when you go to a used-book store?

[hermoine]

Since we only have about 2 used-book stores over here, due to the law of copyright, I can't really say. But I think, personally, that a Used book-shop would have more varied and possibily older books, which sometimes you have to buy from online, if they even have it available.

But perhaps you were referring to the appearance of the shop? Because the only one I went to was really tiny. You had to cram against the other customers to open the door and to look for the book you need.

[KoNeko]

There's a used bookstore in the Zoo and it's a really nice place. A bit too sterile and un-homey for my liking, but there are couches to sit on and lots of pine bookcases and big tables of books. I was after more a grassroots community feel I suppose. I guess I would want a bookstore to be a place I could sit and read for the whole day if I wanted, even if I didn't know the people who owned it or whatnot. I know some bookstore owners get really annoyed at that because people sit there and read and don't buy anything, but if the atmosphere is nice then they'll come back and hang out more.

[Fluffy]

Zeph - yeah, a lot of used book stores are really tiny, because we can't afford to rent bigger places given the nature of the business. I try to make plenty of open space in mine so that people don't feel crowded. And I agree that variety is important. Some places deal specifically in antiquarian books or in newish stuff, and I don't like to pigeonhole myself like that (though there are good arguments for doing so). It just seems more hospitable to have a little of everything. *shrug*

Koko: Hm. And what would give the place a more grassroots-like feel, besides places to sit?

...I'm also wondering about pricing systems in other stores. I think generally, most of us price around half the original cover price for recent books, and we write the price in pencil on the first white page. Is that what they do at that store, Ko?

[KoNeko]

Yeah, at the bookstore here they just write the price in pencil. I think (before I got here) they did the price tagging thingies, but now they just use pencils. I hate price tags anyway, people just rip them off and you have to buy those stupid stickers and whatnot to use them anyway. It doesn't make any economic sense for a used bookstore to have a pricing gun. Oh but hey, if you want to find out more I'll see if I can find a website for the store I'm talking about.

Okay, more grassroots stuff - besides couches (which I love, especially if they're old and comfy), even getting in writers or something to do readings, or using it as a place where the community can hang out and just discuss things like local politics or whatnot is a plus. My friend Kelly is doing a PhD in English writing or something (he writes short stories that get published in journals and anthologies and things) and sometimes the local radio station gets him in to do a reading of an excerpt on air, and advertises the reading time for when he's doing readings at the bookstore. (Part of the English PhD program here is that they have to do a certain number of readings/critiques/response things in front of a crowd.) But they're always really fun to go to, and even though the bookstore is crammed, it actually turns into a good evening out.

Hey, maybe you could advertise killer bunny night as a regular event you hold? Like the bookstore is like KBHQ or something?

[gabi]

if you're still thinking of ideas for events, we have board game tournaments once a month. this month was scrabble (i was demolished by the head of the children's department), and july is cranium. we get a pretty good turnout (usually enough for three or four games going at the same time) and everyone seems to have good time.

dressing up is really fun, too. ;D i'm not sure how much it actually contributes to sales, but all the employees really enjoy it. next friday we're all going to be pirates to coincide with the release of the pirates of the caribbean movie.

[Fluffy]

I can't believe I missed a visit from gabi Man, that stinks.

We did celebrate National Talk Like a Pirate Day, and we need to do more dress-up events, definitely. We also need to branch out to other games on our weekly Game Night (lately it's been all Killer Bunnies, all the time, and there are so many other good ones, like Scrabble or Cranium, definitely, and trivia and stuff).

Right now I'm working my butt off on the website, so that we can actually put in our virtual tour and all. Everything got so messed up with the tornado, and we're only now getting back toward where I wanted to be But we'll get there.

WE HAVE CATS! Nierme, aged 2, is a peach calico featured on our temporary website in one of her favourite poses, which is playing the piano. Her son Elijah, aged 5 months, picked me out at the pet shop and now lives in my lap most of the day, purring and copping these really cute squinchy-eyed faces. When I have a picture of him up on the site, you guys HAVE to look. He's a sandy colour and has a tail about as big around as his little body, the dear.

[Lynn Nightshade]

I hope the bookstore is going well En (Just goes to show that I need to visit this place more often to keep up). And your cat is so adorable! I can't wait for your website so we can see your lap buddy!

[Fluffy]

I'm working on it right now... gahhh, I'm so used to HTML but all my peers on this co-op network use style sheets Not too much longer til I can post the first real pages though; most of the text is done, and I know what I want to do for layout, just have to figure out how. I'll have to post a few different pictures of him, since he's grown up a lot - he was only ten weeks old when he got here, and he's almost six months old now.

Then I'm going to do an interactive ghost story portion of the site... sort of like a 'choose your own adventure' story in which people select what they'd respond to each part of the story I'm telling, so that skeptics get the version I usually tell skeptical people, and 'believers' get the more traditional ghost story. When I figure out how to bring up those little Windows error boxes, I'll even throw in some snarky remarks, so that people who go back and pick a dramatically different answer (while working from the same IP) get a little warning box that says something like "Hey, that's not what you said before!" with buttons for "Changed your mind? Really?" and "Just Kidding" that will take them to different pages altogether. Heh.