I’ve only ever briefly worked in a bookstore. I would imagine it’s probably quite boring at times: the lulls, the inventory, the dusting. But that won’t stop me from engaging in a fantasy from time to time of being a shopkeeper.
Allow me to introduce you to my imaginary bookshop.
The best place for a book shop is on the high street of a small town. It needs to be a place where people like books, so a charming college town will do.
It wouldn’t have to be a big space with towers of books. I’d have an adjacent coffee bar, though, with free Guylian chocolates with a java purchase. And a decent lunch menu: salads, grilled panini, quiche. A small stage, too, for musicians and poets on occasional open mic nights.
The store itself would have bookshelves painted vibrant colors. A kids’ area with a weekly story hour. And here’s a sample of my endcaps:
New York Stories: what better way to armchair travel than with a vivid story about the big apple. Here are six good ones:
Worth The Hype: a lot of middling books get high praise. These ones live up to it.
6 Essentials: everyone should read these books. I’ll keep it simple by limiting it to 995 fewer than that famous book tells you to read. I won’t bring death into it either.
A Queer Sampler: there was a time when options were limited in this area. Lucky for you, there are a lot of good ones. Here are some:
Memorable Memoirs: some life stories merit an audience. Here are six.
Books Smitten 