by Chloe Townson
August, 2012
Ten years ago, I submitted my sixth resume to Riverbend Books. At the time I was working a couple of other jobs as well as studying Writing, Editing, and Publishing at the University of Queensland. I’ve always been a reader; I’d completed a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and had written a fifteen thousand word Honours thesis on the importance of Fairy Tale — for children and adults alike.
I did not know then just how important books were to me or just how passionate I would become about the industry. Back then, all I knew was that I’d come from North Queensland where bookstores were scarce, and I’d moved to Brisbane and discovered Riverbend Books. Before I’d even thought to apply for the job, the bookstore had become my second home. Following the advice of my father, I persisted. Every year, I handed in another resume. Eventually my persistence paid off.
As a customer, I discovered what a real bookshop should be. I knew which staff members read the same kind of books I did. I knew which staff members to ask for recommendations. Every time I asked for recommendations I could trust that the book given to me was one that I would like, and the staff were always happy to help. I knew that these people loved their job. And I came to understand that my applications were unsuccessful because none of them wanted to leave their job.
Now, I know what it feels like to be on the other side of the counter; I understand the pressure of handing someone a book and hoping that they love it. There is an art form to it, I think — to know the exact questions to ask in order to understand a reader’s tastes in order to offer suggestions on what they ought to read next. Sometimes I forget what a privilege it is. This is my job. I get to talk to people about books all day.
At least, that’s how it started. Ten years ago, I was purely customer service. Within those ten years I have learned every nook and cranny of what it means to run a bookshop; the stress of knowing what books to order and how many, the physical exercise of unpacking the books that have been ordered and finding somewhere to shelve them, the grief when those books do not sell and need to be returned to the supplier.
Not only am I surrounded by books on a daily basis, I am surrounded by like minds. The people I work with are — as cliche as it sounds — like family. They are now some of my closest and dearest friends. I can’t wait for conferences, or for roadshows and other bookseller gatherings because my little introverted soul appears to have zero issue spending time in a room full of people if those people are also booksellers.
It’s not only my coworkers that I have come to love. In my ten years at Riverbend I have met plenty of customers that I have come to call friends, too. When they walk through the doors I can immediately put my hand on a new release I think they’ll like.
In the ten years that I have worked for Riverbend Books, I have developed a passion for books and for independent bookstores that I never knew I had. Why do I love my bookshop? Because it is like home to me. Because there’s not one morning that I wake up and complain about having to come to work. Because this is my life, and will always be my life — whether here or somewhere else in the industry, I will always be a champion of independent bookstores and the people who devote their time and care to making those bookstores as warm and welcoming as they can be.
Why do you love your bookshop?
Fill out the form below and be featured on the Riverbend Blog on October 8th — Love Your Bookshop Day! (If you’d like to include a photo, please email a copy to accounts@riverbendbooks.com.au with your name and the title of your entry).