TODAY sees the final day of trading for three branches of the former high street Christian bookshop chain, Wesley Owen: Birmingham, York (aka The Barbican Bookshop) and Kingston-upon-Thames, the latter rescued and rebranded as a CLC Bookshop when the rest of the group collapsed back in late 2009. Both Birmingham and York were already flagged … Continue reading
COMPETITION FROM AMAZON and the increasing popularity of the Kindle have been cited by Buxton Christian Bookshop as part of the reason the shop is preparing to close its doors for the last time on Christmas Eve. Speaking to the Buxton Advertiser in a report published today, Mary Fairhurst, chair of the shop’s trustees, explained, It is … Continue reading
I attended the London Book Fair at Earls Court this month; the first time in several years. I was left with several over-riding impressions. The Fair remains the premier International Book Fair. It was busy – very busy – with 25,000 delegates, half from overseas, attracted by the 1,500 exhibitors from 57 countries. The Bookseller suggested … Continue reading
I have a love-hate relationship with Amazon. I love the way they keep rising to every new challenge that the internet throws out — and, yes, like almost every other book lover on the planet, I love their low prices. But I also hate what they’re doing to this trade of ours, drawing suppliers and … Continue reading
I spotted this on the Times online, an ad in the header of last Saturday’s article about Christian bookshops, The call goes out to keep Jesus on the High Street: It’s an excerpt from an article about overfishing of bluefin tuna, which begins: Two weeks ago a single bluefin tuna sold in Japan for a … Continue reading
I know it’s tempting. I know they’re probably your biggest outlet in today’s world. But really, truly, Amazon don’t need your help to boost their market share: they’re taking it from the rest of us anyway, along with the supermarkets with all their cut-price paperbacks. Kudos to Evangelical Press for launching a national railways poster … Continue reading
After only two years of trading, the Kevin Mayhew online initiative Anglicanshop.com is now closing down with a half-price sale in a bid to clear all remaining stock. Continue reading
I’m still at the draft stage with my own thoughts on this year’s combined CBC/CRE, but in the meantime here’s an accolade for the Chelmsford Diocesan Resource Centre and some food for thought from Dave Faulkner. Commenting on his visit to CRE, Dave wrote: There were a few personal interests I wanted to look up. I always … Continue reading
Third Space Books (www.thirdspacebooks.com) is the online trading division of the St Stephen the Great Bookshops (also known as the Stephen the Great Charitable Trust, SSG and/or SSGCT), the organisation that took control of the former SPCK Bookshops in October 2006 and declared itself bankrupt in June 2008. Run by the brothers Philip and Mark … Continue reading
That, I think, is the essence of the question posed by Eddie Arthur in response to my post about Core Stock yesterday: Why should I buy books from you (or another Christian bookshop) when I can get them from Amazon at a significant discount? Eddie admits to playing devil’s advocate in posing the question, but even … Continue reading
