We have been open on Sundays during July and August, and I intended it to be a temporary summer thing. But it’s been lovely, and I am going to keep opening on Sundays up to Christmas – chance for me to get on with all those Advent calendars too! We’ll see how popular it is in the cooler, darker days, but you can grab a coffee in Forrest or Coffee on the Corner and come and browse, or buy a book and take it a cafe to read – lovely Sunday thing to do! Dogs are welcome, so you can call in while you’re walking the dog or on your own walk to Abbey Fields. Or just come and browse – excellent idea on a relaxing Sunday.
To celebrate, here are my beloved Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds with their song Skeleton Tree, which opens with the words Sunday morning… Love this live version, and Nick dancing towards the end is just lovely.
I know it’s early to be thinking about Christmas, but in retail we have to think in advance! And the only advance thinking on my part involves our Advent calendars of books: 24 books individually wrapped to open each day in Advent. They take quite a bit of prep and organisation, so we always start at this time of year.
Last year we had a few problems – an awful courier who simply slapped labels on parcels without looking and delivered them all to incorrect addresses around the country, and then further problems getting them redelivered. It was a disaster. Thankfully the customers affected were pretty patient with it all, but it has taught me a lesson about some couriers being more reliable than others… So I am sure those people won’t be ordering again, but it was only a small number that were affected (I still bear the shame though, even though it wasn’t my fault!), and I will only use couriers that have been reliable for us in the past. Postage costs have gone up, so I need to know that parcels will be delivered properly.
That apart, these are always very popular – reasonably priced and lots of fun, for adults and children. I have changed the adult system slightly this year, there is more of a pot luck element and broad categories rather than individual tailoring – but if you are concerned about the specific books, get in touch – we will need to charge a bit extra as that is time-consuming, but it can be done.
Please read our Advent calendar page for all the info, and use the contact form for ordering, so that I can keep track easily of all the orders. The prices quoted are for local collection, this year we have to add £10 for P&P, but hopefully they are still good value.
Our books are all second-hand, but we only send clean copies in decent condition – there may be some cracking to the spine or signs of wear to the corners or slight foxing (I love that word), but we don’t include things that are too worn.
So do have a look at the page here for all the info. And we also always need more children’s books, so if you are thinking of having a clear-out, we’d gratefully take any that you have!
The Tree House Second-hand Bookshop 