Top qualities of a book store

[SFG75]

So what is it that draws you into a bookstore? What are some of the attributes that either turn you on or off to a given store? I recently went to a used-book store that opened up a few months ago. They have a great selection of books, but the walls are bare, and I believe all the person did was put in massive book shelves and spinning paperback holders and that was it. No paint work, posters, or anything like that.

Here's my list

10.)Must be spacey to allow some degree of intimate reading time in solitude
9.)Good jazz or folk music that is hearable, but not overbearing
8.)Art on the walls
7.)Soft lighting, a bit dark
6.)A coffee bar area
5.)Couches-lots of 'em
4.)A staff that actually reads, not just some high school kid who can't find another job
3.)Meeting area for groups who convene there
2.)Diverse clientele
1.)Awesome decoration

 

[G4G]

A good selection of books. no music. staff who read (oh yes yes yes)and who SMILE. no bright lighting. a cat or a dog wandering around. no hippies or kids. or squirrels.

 

[Stewart]

A wide selection of books and a good array of deals is enough for me. I don't drink coffee, I don't participate in book groups, I don't sit down, and don't talk to the staff.

 

[Mari]

1. Extremely low prices.

2. Steady influx of new stock.

3. Staff that doesn't recognize the value of some books.

 

[Jemima Aslana]

No music. I hate shopping music - especially when the shop is not selling music.

What's this thing with couches and all? You people are spoiled!!!

Not dim light, but not overly bright either. Light so I can actually read without having to strain my eyes, but also not so I feel like I'm in a hospital.

No art on the walls - the walls are supposed to have bookshelves, not art. Of course books *are* art so that kind of art I'll tolerate on the walls

Spacy...hmmm I more or less agree. One of our local bookstores is spacy but in an open, naked, no-privacy way - me no like. So spacy as in having room for loads and loads of bookshelves where you can just go hide around the corner and get lost between rows and rows of books... that's how I want to decorate my house... once I'll be able to afford living in one

Meeting area and coffee bar is insignificant. I go to a bookshop to buy books - not to socialise, I'll go to a café for that.

The staff... hmmm, they have fairly good staff at the bookshop I frequent here, of course they don't all know everything about everything, they all have their specialities. But if the dude who knows about the English book section and sci-fi and fantasy in particular isn't there, the others can always help, because their computer systems actually work and they've all learned to use them efficiently - which is more than can be said for the other local book shop. They won't be able to give personal opinions but they can always find reviews and the like.

Generally I just want the place to be friendly. Friendly atmosphere, friendly colours, friendly staff, etc. The rest I can handle on my own.

Oh one last thing. A willingness to order all those obscure books I want. Bookshops in DK can't have a big stock because the audience simply isn't big enough for their economy to be able to support that - BUT as long as they'll take home the books I want them to then I don't mind - my local shop is good with this. The lady who helped me yesterday answered my horrible questions about obscure books about Old and Middle English, found out prices for me and such, and I left without ordering or buying anything - of course I *am* a bit of regular there so hehe...

 

[Stewart]

Bookshops in DK can't have a big stock because the audience simply isn't big enough for their economy

The selection in Århus weren't up to much; it was mostly Anne Rice, Stephen King, and those books that are more photos than text.

 

[Bluraven]

Good Bookstores absolutely must have the following:
1. Loads of Good and Classic Books!! (No Classics is a major faux-pas!)
2. Comfy couches to sit on and read (or rest if, like me, you have achy back!)
3. Soft folksy or classical music...stimulates the mind!
4. Coffee-then you can feed 2 addictions at once!!hehe
5. Posters or Paintings-particularly those depicting books or readers.
6. MOST IMPORTANT--staff who won't ask you to leave if you've been there more than 20 minutes!!!! NOTHING is more frustrating than bookstores where you feel rushed and "spied upon", as though you're some loitering juvenile!
7. And lastly-knowledgeable staff who actually read...and who LOVE to talk about what they read!

 

[cabrasopa]

A shop that just sells books
Good deal, discount or sale section
knowledgeable staff that are there to help when you want and leave you free to browse.

 

[ions]

1. Good Classics. This means a selection of printings. Wordsworth Student editions to Penguin premium trade paperback.

2. If there's music it better be classical or delicate world music. I don't care if the bookstore also sells top 40 music, it's still a bookstore.

3. Knowledgeable people. Most of the time I don't need em but when I do it's usually for something obscure and it's gratifying to find someone who can help. Or at least knows where to begin looking for an answer.

The seats and coffee bars are useful if I feel like reading an article from a mag that I can't find online. Otherwise I don't need em.

 

[MonkeyCatcher]

1. The main requirement, I believe, for a good bookstore is a knowledgeable staff. I frequently ask members of the staff if they have read the book that I am thinking of buying, and if so, what they thought of it. I need that kind of encourgement to know that I'm not completely wasting my money.

2. Needs to be colourful, with lots of posters and such on the walls.

3. I like a wide variety of books, but not at the expense of slimming down on certain areas. So a guess a wide range and a large quantity of books.

I presonally don't like the idea of having a coffee shop in a bookstore - the smell of coffee doesn't appeal to me overly much. I don't have to worry though, none of the bookstores that I have been to have ever had a coffee bar as well.

 

[Miss Shelf]

I disagree with SFG, I like it to be well-lit but not overbright, so I don't strain my eyes trying to read the synopsis of a book! The low lighting in some stores is sleep-inducing.

Adequate staff-I can't count the number of times I've looked desperately for help and didn't find it. And in one particular large chain, the Information and Help kiosk was abandoned. It would be nice if there were computers available to customers so we could look up what we want without having to hunt down a clerk. And then there are the clerks who hurry by you when you're trying to flag them down, without a "I'll be with you in a sec", just blow past you.

I think some stores deliberately make it hard for you to find stuff-in the one I frequent, the alpha-by-authors wraps around bookshelves, but you don't know which way. Probably a ploy to get you to discover something you might not have if you'd found what you were looking for. I've found mysteries in the fiction section, too. I don't think that separating classics from fiction helps, because people have different ideas of what a "classic" is.

 

[Ronny]

A wide selection of books and a good array of deals is enough for me. I don't drink coffee, I don't participate in book groups, I don't sit down, and don't talk to the staff.

I'm with Stewart, I go to a bookstore just to buy books. All I really want there is a good selection and nice prices. I will sometimes pick up coffee if it's there but it's only on the way out. I don't think I've ever noticed the music or what's on the walls. I've never sat in the chairs.

 

[SFG75]

I'm surprised at the number of non-coffee drinkers we have. Are you people on something? (j/k) Wow, I never realized how much bad staff takes away from the experience. I guess a sucker is born every minute and later on in life, it's their job to frustrate book lovers. I love the ones that tell you The Republic is out of print. I have never laughed so hard in my laugh at times. Oh well, tis better to laugh at some than get angry. I don't know why, but I've been that a lot more often as of late.

 

[Ice]

A wide selection of books and a good array of deals is enough for me. I don't drink coffee, I don't participate in book groups, I don't sit down, and don't talk to the staff.

I am the same, as long as there is a good selection and a few deals then I am happy. I do however like the shop to be well organised. I rarely speak to shop assistants and dislike having to find staff and ask them where to locate a particular book due to a bad or inadequate layout.

 

[Peder]

The coffee shop is indispensible to me! It is there that I do serious browsing and book comparisons before deciding whether to buy or not. It has definitely helped me to avoid buying some big-bucks non-fiction works that were on topics that really appealed to me, but then didn't have the content or author's style that I thought would keep my interest.
Plus, I am a coffee fiend! `
Peder

 

[Libre]

Couches, artwork, music, well-read staff, meeting area, coffee bar, types of clientele, decorations, etc. are all non-essentials.

Here's what I want in a bookstore (hypothetical conversation):
Them: May I help you?
Me: Do you have (fill-in-the-title) by (fill-in-the-author)?
T: Let me see - just a second ... (pause while they check computer) ... yes sir, right this way. (pause while we go to book's loacation). Right here.
M: Thank you.
T: You're welcome.

 

[Prairie_Girl]

classical or folky music, I like places that play obscure folk artists. staff that reads, and that makes conversation beyong "hi!" my favourite bookstore had staff that ALWAYS asked what I was listening to when I was in the store w/ my headphones, I loved that. Good lighting and places to sit. Coffee is a perk, but not a must.

 

[Gem]

Hmmm, ideal bookstore:

Big comfy seats so that I can peruse books leisurely
tea/drinks served to me
staff who actually read and can therefore provide some useful advice
a huge choice of bookmarks



Ok i'm gonna lower the tone and add: a cute guy that can actually read serving at the till.

 

[MonkeyCatcher]

It would be nice if there were computers available to customers so we could look up what we want without having to hunt down a clerk.

Our nearest Borders has this feature, and it is very handy. Too bad it's a tad expensive.

 

[SFG75]

classical or folky music, I like places that play obscure folk artists. staff that reads, and that makes conversation beyong "hi!" my favourite bookstore had staff that ALWAYS asked what I was listening to when I was in the store w/ my headphones, I loved that. Good lighting and places to sit. Coffee is a perk, but not a must.

Ahhhhh, exactly what I was thinking. Something along the lines of some fiery Woody Guthrie songs. In terms of classical music, anything by Mendhelson.