Or should that be an up-turn? Bookshops are surviving in spite of the internet and big chain stores. Mairead Mahon produced this page turner.
‘GOSH, you’re brave’ and ‘Are you sure you know what you’re doing?’ These questions, delivered in suitably sombre tones, are the almost universal comments made to anyone opening a bookshop. It may not be the most encouraging response but it is an understandable one. After all, independent bookshops seem to be closing faster than pubs. But Lancashire is bucking the trend, with more opening here than almost anywhere else and, what’s more, they’re doing rather well.
Of course, times have changed. Today’s competition from on-line retailers and even supermarkets is intense. So, who are these brave souls and what have they done to write this new chapter of success?
‘Well, the first thing that any independent bookseller has to realise is that it is sometimes impossible to compete on price with the big chains, but you know there is much more to being a bookseller than piling them high and selling them cheap. We have to ensure that we offer added value,’ says Carolyn Clapham who owns and runs Storytellers Inc. in St Annes with her daughter, Katie.
When they opened in 2010, with absolutely no retail experience at all, a business manager helpfully told them that they were mad but the love of books is a powerful thing. Now they have a clutch of prizes such as regional Independent Bookseller of the Year and Young Bookseller of the Year.
Denne historien er fra September 2016-utgaven av Lancashire Life.
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Denne historien er fra September 2016-utgaven av Lancashire Life.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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A Shopper's Paradise
‘Anything is possible’ is the boast of a famous Knightsbridge shop and it could equally apply to Clitheroe, where shoppers come eager to pick up something just that little bit different, especially in the run-up to Christmas
Back from the brink?
There are signs hedgehog numbers might be recovering, and we can all do our bit to help them, says Alan Wright of Lancashire Wildlife Trust
Memories of a LANCASHIRE CHILDHOOD
Blackburn-born Sara Foster has had a string of bestsellers on the other side of the world. With her latest novel now out, she reflects on her Lancashire roots
The tale of BEATRIX'S VALLEY
Land once owned by Beatrix Potter is at the heart of a noisy row over how we enjoy the Lake District
Liverpool's pyramid scheme
We’ve seen the shape of things to come – and it’s a pyramid. But are you ready to spend the afterlife piled high with 34,591 other people in Toxteth?
Around the world in 2000 paintings
Preston artist Martyn Hanks has spent 60 years globetrotting with his paints and brushes
WALKING THE BORDER
This glorious walk in the hills around Earby takes a peek over the county line
We will remember them
For a hundred years the Cenotaph has been the focal point for a nation’s grief, but few know its connection to Kirkby Lonsdale
A pawfect day out
The grounds of Holker Hall at Cartmel are a favourite with human and canine visitors
A LEGACY of LOVE
An unusual war memorial in Lancaster is a haven for wildlife and young people from the city