Always dreamed of opening a bookshop cafe?

Have you always dreamed of opening your very own bookshop cafe? Well, why not make this dream a reality? Owning your own bookshop cafe will take a lot of planning and great organisational skills. Below we share a few ideas to get those creative juices flowing.

Location and your bookshop name - It's important that you research your chosen area and building. The area should have plenty of shops to help entice people in, but preferably not that many cafes or bookshops, as you don't want to be in competition with other more established businesses. The building needs to be well lit, and there needs to be lots of wall space for bookshelves. It also needs to be large enough for cafe tables and cafe chairs. As for the name, it needs to be catchy, but remember to keep it simple so that people remember it and tell their friends.

Form relationships with book sellers - What type of books do you want to sell? Do you want to sell used books, or new? Perhaps you want to stock both? What's most important is that you use inventory software to track your stock. That way, once a book is sold, you'll know to restock it. Read up on the new releases and the most popular books of the month. Get in touch with booksellers, authors and publishing houses.

The bookshop interior - This is when you can really have some fun. The one thing to remember is that the space must be well lit, either with natural light or strategic lighting, so that your customers can browse and read books in comfort. The same needs to be true of the cafe area. There should be a designated cafe area, with comfy breakout chairs and tables, but it's also a good idea to place comfy lounge chairs in any alcoves, or corners, to provide a reading space for those who don't want to purchase a coffee. Large display tables showcasing popular books and coffee table reads is also a good idea.

Bookshop cafe ideas - Once open you need to retain your customers and entice new customers in. One important group is that of parents. Be sure to schedule story time events with popular book characters. Allow writing groups and book groups to use your space. Hold author events and book launches. Be the book hub of your local community.

Cafe Reality can help you to design and choose the perfect bookshop cafe furniture. Just give us a call today!