Well the last year at Books in Clover has been a
roller-coaster ride. Yes, I am the person who chooses to go on a ride which is
just a good excuse for screaming in fright. Don’t get me wrong, I love my
bookshop and I still have to pinch myself that it is real, but the everyday reality
of small business is a constant intrusion on my bookish dream. Bills, the
pricing and cleaning of stock, BAS returns, and the constant annoyance of calls from utility
suppliers, are the flies in my ointment of joy.
The shop opening in February 2015 was a bit mad and exhausting.
My helpers and I pulled books off half the shelves and moved shelving bays
around to provide a more open floor plan which allowed more light to reach the
back corners. Four of us worked solidly for 3 days but agreed it was well worth
the aching muscles.
Those nooks for seating and lines of sight which have been
created, make the shop seem much bigger than it looks from the outside. I have
since pulled down and moved another section of the shop and made additional changes to accommodate even more books. Thanks to my lovely
Dad, I now have proper window display shelving which not only looks great but
maximises the available light and floor space. There is a lovely green feather
banner outside on the curb, announcing our existence to passers by, and worth every dollar
spent on it.
