Sunday 21 September 2014

The last post.

Customers continuing the heavenly theme!
What's it like working in a bookshop? As we come to the end of the year of our "A Year in the life of an independent bookseller" blog it seemed timely to reflect on my own incredibly varied and rewarding role as a bookseller.
Today is seven months since my auspicious role change from librarian to the phenomenal job satisfaction of being a Page and Blackmore bookseller. One of my customers just commented, as I handed over her book purchase, "It's heaven in a brown paper bag!"  She describes working in a bookshop succinctly and beautifully.
{Lynn}

Friday 19 September 2014

10 things you don't know about me

Staff often have a professional persona, and while we are genuine we are at work, so you don't always know everything about us. I've worked at Page & Blackmore for 8 years and you may think you know me, but here are 10 things you might not know...

1. I was born in Wainuiomata. My first song I knew was "Paekakariki, the girls are cheeky, Wainuiomata the girls are smarter"
2. I make jewellery - I studied at Whitireia Polytechnic for 3 years back in the late 90s, and have exhibited my work at galleries and jewellery fairs nationally and internationally.
3. I like paper dolls. (We just got in this book today so I'll be tempted!)
4. I have a love for vintage bicycles - probably started at 8 with my first bike - a purple Raleigh I nicknamed Speedy Gonzales that was passed around the neighbourhood from child to child.
5. I need dark chocolate and coffee.
6. I have worked in the book trade since 1990. Prior to computer technology - microfiche was the step up from a card catalogue system. (My previous bookshop jobs have been at Bennetts Featherston Street, Unity Books Wgtn, Blackmores Booksellers and The Museum Shop.)
7. I've lived on a Greek Island, where I worked at a restaurant where my first task in the morning was to kill the cockroaches, followed by sweeping out the dry donkey dung from the grooves in the pebbled courtyard.
8.My ancestors are Greek (my father was born in Cyprus) and Scottish (my grandfather was from Edinburgh).
9. I have a double major in Politics & History
10. I am really very short - 4'11''.


Thursday 18 September 2014

Erudite Politics

Full house last night at the Theatre Royal.

Who were they waiting for .....


An erudite Nicky Hager spoke passionately about democracy and our political system. 
Great to see so many thinking heads in the room.

Tuesday 16 September 2014

Today has been rather vivifying

 Vivify = to impart vitality or vividness.
Peter came across 'vivify' while looking through the catalogue reviews of forthcoming books for gems to delight our customers.
After scanning our dictionaries to find the meaning of this rather wonderful verb, we decided that vivifying is a very apt word to describe a day in the bookshop!

Monday 15 September 2014

Road testing the chairs.

We take our customers' comfort seriously in this bookstore. Today we dedicated some time to road testing the customer chairs.  Peter proved that a good keen bookseller can do the job just as well sitting down, and Lynn devoted her coffee break to the cause.  We can definitely recommend taking the time to browse with the weight off your feet.


Sunday 14 September 2014

I'm in heaven when I'm in this bookshop...

The things our customers say:  #561
We love hearing our customer comments.  Here's a pearl we overheard today:

Customer in the shop accompanied by a young adult who whispered something to her, responded:
"You can take as long as you want, I will still be here. I'm in heaven when I'm in this bookshop."

Saturday 13 September 2014

Oh My! 2015!





2015 approaches and our stands of calendars are full. 
Diaries arriving too, and the much coverted Paperblank diaries are due soon!


Friday 12 September 2014

Meet Otto

Otto and his co-workers are very busy all day long, attending to our recycling. 
These bins are constant recipients of paper (especially back issues of magazines which we are obliged to discard). We've been recycling all our waste paper and cardboard for several years now. We like the suppliers who use paper and other recyclable materials rather than plastics for packing. We also try to keep our own packaging to a minimum and use brown paper bags for book purchases.

Thursday 11 September 2014

Will strip for toots

With the magazine department hit by illness, the great tsunami of magazines still needs to be mastered. This picture shows eager staff queuing to perform the exciting job of stripping some returns (i.e. tearing or cutting off the covers off dated issues to return to the supplier).

Wednesday 10 September 2014

Scenes of everyday beauty

One of our favourite books, by one of our favourite people, featured in The Press on Monday. We recommend copies of Hometown New Zealand under every Christmas tree this year (but why wait?).

- Our best wishes to Derek and Maclean, wherever on the road you are!

Tuesday 9 September 2014

Graveyard of the dump-bins

 Up the stairs, through the store-room, past the shelves, into the 'pit'..... The empty dump bins come here to rest  when their job is done.





Monday 8 September 2014

Here's Holly

We are delighted to welcome Holly to the Page and Blackmore team. Holly has recently completed a degree in English Literature and Art History at Victoria University.  She's currently doing a couple of papers in graphic design and photography at NMIT. When she has spare time, we are fortunate to have her working with us at P & B and she'll be here full-time over the busy summer period. (Don't be fooled by her lovely English accent, she is a Nelsonian really).


Sunday 7 September 2014

Father's Day Special. Where's the Switch?

Yesterday, Peter had the pleasure of his grandchildren helping him in the garden. As he has only a thin strip of lawn to mow he uses a hand-mower. When it was brought out of the garage , Master 6 year old asked if he could help Grandad with the mower. Of course was the reply, to which he answered 'how to you turn it on Grandad?'

Saturday 6 September 2014

Gifts from reps



Shane, our rep for David Bateman Ltd, came bearing gifts this week. Lucky me, I got a copy of 
Reps are wonderful.
- {Stella}.


Friday 5 September 2014

Hard Country




Last night it was our pleasure to launch Robin Robilliard's Hard Country: A Golden Bay Life. Congratulations Robby - what a splendid launch.


Thursday 4 September 2014

Posting


If you click on these words you will be taken to our Facebook page (a good way to keep abreast of book news). What have we posted today?
- Will Self interviewing Will Self (his new book Shark is in the shop now)
- A peep inside the very appealing offices of The Paris Review (watch out for harpoons)
- A trailer for a forthcoming book by Kazuo Ishiguro (due next March)
- An announcement that Nicky Hager will be speaking in Nelson on 17 September
- A wartime advertisement emphasising the importance of reading to the economy
- A fashion collection by Kate Sylvester inspired by author Donna Tartt
- An interview with David Mitchell about his new book The Bone Clocks
- A link to Anne Else's food blog Something Else to Eat. Her new book The Colour of Food arrived today
- An interview about lying (and other things) with Jesse Ball, author of Silence Once Begun
- A gentle reminder that Fathers' Day is this Sunday
'Like' us or just like us!

Wednesday 3 September 2014

Evidence

Hidden in the stairwell: this slightly faded newspaper clipping, featuring one Peter Rigg - proof that not all of a bookseller's muscles are to be found inside the head.

Tuesday 2 September 2014

Booksellers should always listen carefully to their customers' questions.

What I heard:
Customer: "Do you have the latest Walter Matthau?"
I began searching our database for any newly published books on the actor Walter Matthau (Matthow). 
Stella, from behind the new fiction display: "No sorry, it's not out yet but it's due in next week."
Me, to myself: "HOW on earth does she keep all these facts in her head?"
What Stella heard and what the customer actually said:
"Do you have the latest Wild Tomato"?

Monday 1 September 2014

Christmas is coming....

... and we have begun the process of selecting titles for our 2014 Summer Newsletter (a.k.a. the Christmas Catalogue). We are staggered by the range and number of excellent books this year, and we'll have to do quite a bit of sifting to reduce our initial gathering of possibilities to the mere 140 needed.