Same thing is happening in Montreal. There are at least two bookshops closed because the owner was too aged to take care of the business and no one wanted to do it. Wish I could do it but I don't have the expertise.
The demise of the second-hand bookshop
41–50 of 157 posts
Re: The demise of the second-hand bookshop
#42I actually really appreciate second-hand books. It sounds weird, but it makes it feel like there's more life to a book knowing others have read that exact copy. I also find it interesting and often helpful reading notes or underlined/highlighted parts of the book. I recently purchased a few books from thriftbooks.com and noticed they shipped from different locations....I'm not sure if they're run as a marketplace whe…
I also enjoy buying used books where one can tell that the previous owner treasured the book over the years and made notes or highlights. However, the demise of the sewn binding – publishers have shifted to shoddy glued bindings even for prestige titles like the collected works of many poets – means that there will probably be less well-used and loved books around, since the binding is likely to give out already within the time that the first owner has the book.
Re: The demise of the second-hand bookshop
#43I actually really appreciate second-hand books. It sounds weird, but it makes it feel like there's more life to a book knowing others have read that exact copy. I also find it interesting and often helpful reading notes or underlined/highlighted parts of the book. I recently purchased a few books from thriftbooks.com and noticed they shipped from different locations....I'm not sure if they're run as a marketplace whe…
This! Also books are like wine - they smell better when they're aged.
Re: The demise of the second-hand bookshop
#44Used bookstores are a lot like gardens -- they must be tended daily and grown in 100 ways, year after year. The city I grew up in was legendary for used bookstores, and they sit all but empty now, decades later. The 'modern' people chiming in about how to "search faster" are missing an aspect of the experience that is literal and measureable, as well as partially undefineable simply because the portion of the mind an…
Like all the things I cared about, it is going.
I'm starting to lose interest in the world.
Re: The demise of the second-hand bookshop
#45Earlier quoted context omitted.
All books in the last ~50 years have a barcode already printed on them, and an ISBN printed inside. Any phone camera can read these. If you assume 15 seconds per book at pace, 40 books per shelf, 6 shelves per bookcase, and 30 bookcases in the average store, complete digitization of a collection should take only ... Edit: Responding comment is quite right, original calculation mistaken. It's 4AM here. 40 × 6 × 30 = 7…
Assuming ~600 man hours (your numbers) to digitize an entire used book store, at $15/hr cost for labor it would cost ~$900 to digitize a bookstore. I think you're shy a factor of 3 or 4 on the amount of labor it would take to digitize a book store, given my experience with running inventory at retail shops. Maybe it could be worth it if there was an inventory management system that could automatically post the books…
> Assuming ~600 man hours (your numbers) to digitize an entire used book store, at $15/hr cost for labor it would cost ~$900 to digitize a bookstore.
$9,000
Re: The demise of the second-hand bookshop
#46Several used bookstores by us have had business pick up during the pandemic with subscription services. As long as the USPS media rate survives, anyway.
Re: The demise of the second-hand bookshop
#47Used bookstores are a lot like gardens -- they must be tended daily and grown in 100 ways, year after year. The city I grew up in was legendary for used bookstores, and they sit all but empty now, decades later. The 'modern' people chiming in about how to "search faster" are missing an aspect of the experience that is literal and measureable, as well as partially undefineable simply because the portion of the mind an…
For me, the most magical thing about the small local bookstores is the people working there. Just getting into one, chatting with people genuinely and deeply passionate about what it is that they are selling. Having a coffee, talking about a book I read, what aspects I liked, philosophizing about the topic in general and getting recommendations what to read next based on that has beaten at least 10x any 'modern' and…
Yep. My little town still has a bookstore downtown that’s been there for years. Run by a retired English teacher who seems to know everything about every book in the store.
I believe they ended up working a supplier deal with some of the local schools that helps with consistent revenue.
Ever since the pandemic started I’ve gone there so much that we’re on a first name basis. :)
Re: The demise of the second-hand bookshop
#48Earlier quoted context omitted.
Assuming ~600 man hours (your numbers) to digitize an entire used book store, at $15/hr cost for labor it would cost ~$900 to digitize a bookstore. I think you're shy a factor of 3 or 4 on the amount of labor it would take to digitize a book store, given my experience with running inventory at retail shops. Maybe it could be worth it if there was an inventory management system that could automatically post the books…
"Ultimately all physical retails spaces have the same common problem -- why should someone go into your store when they can get the same products online. ...I personally think there are two answer, one is to move the core retail business online, and the other is to create experiences people will keep coming back for." This is a great observation. I think that every business looking at option 1 would run away in terro…
If you're looking for interesting, opinionated selections, Amazon isn't your competition.
There are many, many affiliate based places online to looks for book curation. It's really not that hard to discover interesting books.
Re: The demise of the second-hand bookshop
#49Earlier quoted context omitted.
All books in the last ~50 years have a barcode already printed on them, and an ISBN printed inside. Any phone camera can read these. If you assume 15 seconds per book at pace, 40 books per shelf, 6 shelves per bookcase, and 30 bookcases in the average store, complete digitization of a collection should take only ... Edit: Responding comment is quite right, original calculation mistaken. It's 4AM here. 40 × 6 × 30 = 7…
Assuming ~600 man hours (your numbers) to digitize an entire used book store, at $15/hr cost for labor it would cost ~$900 to digitize a bookstore. I think you're shy a factor of 3 or 4 on the amount of labor it would take to digitize a book store, given my experience with running inventory at retail shops. Maybe it could be worth it if there was an inventory management system that could automatically post the books…
> you can use it as an opportunity to remove inventory that wasn't selling anyway
If you don't have a database of your inventory, you don't know what's selling and what's not, apart from hazy memories of employees and the amount of dust on the shelf.
Re: The demise of the second-hand bookshop
#50Used bookstores are a lot like gardens -- they must be tended daily and grown in 100 ways, year after year. The city I grew up in was legendary for used bookstores, and they sit all but empty now, decades later. The 'modern' people chiming in about how to "search faster" are missing an aspect of the experience that is literal and measureable, as well as partially undefineable simply because the portion of the mind an…
Like all the things I cared about, it is going. I'm starting to lose interest in the world.
Don't worry - it's fine.