This has its benefits though a I suppose. My other half found a music shop that actually sold more than keyboards and acoustic guitars. She managed to spend the whole time we were in Tanunda playing on a grand piano that costs more than a small car.
But of course you are here to read about book hunting. I managed to find The Ravens Parlour a very nicely presented shop combining a small second hand collection with new stock.
Now I find that your bookshops can tend to fall into two categories and this can depend on the type of people running them. Typical of franchise stores(I know of some that buck this trend) you will have a shop that sells all the latest reality TV rubbish, celebrity biographies. A shop that sees books as more of a designer element and hose staff seem only interested in moving stock.
Then you have shops like The Ravens Parlour which takes time and effort and curates their stock. Despite being confined by space and probably profit margin The Ravens Parlour actually manages to have a diverse collection of books.
Although their science fiction and fantasy section was only one book case I was able to find a wide selection of books. I saw Tansy Rayner Roberts’ The Shattered city for the first time in print format. A couple of Yellow hardbacks from the New Gollanz releases and many more that fall outside the best seller list.
The service was good despite the owner having to ferret out an invoice from a delivery. We talked a bit about the book business, about libraries. The experience was a pleasant one – which no doubt fed into my purchasing of the Vintage Edition of Maragaret Atwoods The Handmaids Tale.
Pro tip for Booksellers – Try and get to know your customers, take an interest in them as a person –its the only thing you have over online shops. Every time a staff member has take the time to chat I have bought a book from the shop
I heartily recommend The Ravens Parlour, excellent service and a diverse selection despite the size of the shop.
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