Meet Kim Pittar of Muirs Bookshop in Gisborne
How did you become so interested – passionate, even – about books and reading that you wanted to open a bookshop?
I've always been a huge reader, my parents always had lots of books, and took me to libraries from an early age. After having my three children and wanting to re-enter the work force, I saw a position available for a Book Rep for Reed Publishing for the Hawke's Bay/Gisborne area. I applied and got the role, which brought me in contact with Muirs Bookshop and Anne Muir. Two years later, Reed Publishing was purchased by Penguin and didn't require reps in my area but Scholastic needed a rep, so I worked for them for one year. Then we saw that Muirs Bookshop was on the market, and my husband, who was from Gisborne, was keen to move back. So, Bookshop and Gisborne beckoned.
Were there any bookshops you visited that inspired you?
Muirs was like an Aladdin's Cave, full of the riches of books, and was the most inspiring bookshop I'd seen in New Zealand.
What were some of the challenges you faced along the way?
The greatest challenge occurred within weeks of purchasing Muirs Bookshop in September 2008. The Global Financial Crisis hit and by May 2009 we noticed a very scary, unstoppable decline in book sales and use of the cafe. Many people lost their savings, some lost their property and there certainly wasn't the money around to spend on discretionary items like books. The sales fell to a point and then flattened out. As the country seemed to claw their way out of a recession, the internet stepped in and seemed to absorb retail spend. All retailers were feeling this change in consumer purchasing behaviour. We adapted by changing our computer system to incorporate a better website, reduced staff numbers and reduced unnecessary stock holding. At the same time, we ensured the breadth of stock remained vast so we had everything people would hear about and want. The publishing houses and distributors could ship books to us very quickly so we didn't need to hold vast quantities of any one book at a time.
What do you enjoy about it most?
Every day then and still is today, like Christmas. Boxes arrive and new stock flows out. Bookshop customers are wonderfully educated, stimulating, fascinating people and we learn so much by talking to them about what they read and want to read. Publisher lists are one type of list I like, with new authors, tried and true authors and ever-changing trends.
Can you tell me about some of the strangest or most difficult enquiries you have had to deal with?
Well, today, it is difficult telling customers that a book that should only take four days to reach us, will now take six weeks due the nature of sea shipping! Given there is such a vast variety of books, it is hard to call anything strange. I do a lot of second-hand book sales. We have a second-hand area now, which is very popular, and I purchase second-hand books to order. Sourcing these books can be one of the more challenging aspects of the bookshop role. We do still get that request..."I can't remember the name of the title, but the cover was blue". We did a blue window last year with a chalk board stating that same comment. It got lots of laughs and shares on Facebook.
Not so long ago, there was much talk about the “death of the book” and, along with it, bookshops themselves but this hasn’t happened. What’s your theory on why this is?
I never thought there would be the "death of the book". My first three years of owning Muirs, I went to the Booksellers Conference to be confronted by the necessity of upskilling and selling "e-readers." I just didn't get it. Book people don't just love to read, they love to hold and own books. I felt quite despondent after these conferences as I didn't buy a bookshop to sell electronic gadgets. My actual concern was the change in people's buying habits, using the internet. Internet buying was more likely to be the death knell for bookshops. So, I had to make sure Muirs Bookshop remained a great place to visit. We had to have a good little team of well-read staff, a vast variety of book genre and offer great conversation and book talk. I think bookshops have remained strong because the owners realise their own expertise is what keeps people coming back. Also, books are not such an expensive item. You only save a small amount of money buying books on-line, compared to clothing and electronic goods. Also, more discerning, community-minded people, realise a town isn't a town without a good bookshop.
Bookshops seem to be the type of place that garner loyal customers. Is there any such thing as a “typical customer” and what do you think your customers – especially the most loyal – enjoy about your bookstore?
Like Shaun Bythell, the Scottish Bookseller, we could write a book on "typical customers"! There is definitely not one type, though. There are certainly real characters that regularly visit, enriching our days. Yes, we have very loyal customers, who not only live in Gisborne but come from all over New Zealand. Some have holidays homes by the beaches here and we see them every summer; others are businesspeople who fly in and out but always come and stock up their reading from us. We run a very antiquated loyalty card system and people love it. We aren't a "click and buy" type shop. Our website directs people to phone or email us and we have some regular customers from larger cities who just email me for the books they want and I post them. No parking bothers, no research bothers, just a quick email and I source the book. Our regular, loyal customers probably know we will, nearly, always have the book they are looking for, if it's a new release or has been promoted in media. I think that is what they enjoy the most.
Bookshops are also the type of place that many aspire to own or work in, why do you think that is and can the fantasy live up to the reality?
Good bookshops create an atmosphere that conjures a feeling that almost anything is possible. Good bookshops contain books that will stimulate imagination, hone ideas, suggest new adventures and develop ongoing learning. Why wouldn't intelligent people want to be involved in a good bookshop? In Muirs Bookshop, the reality is the fantasy. Yes, there are cobwebs high in the ceilings and a bit too much dust on some shelves but our noses are in the books or browsing lists or scanning sites to see what books are being talked about internationally or talking with customers about books they've just heard of. Every day we wait with anticipation for the couriers to see what they will bring so we can oggle the new books and share the newest, latest book we've read with our customers.
What are your hopes for the future of bookshops and, indeed, the book trade in general?
Firstly, I hope planes start flying more regularly from the distributors in Australia!! That's a big, immediate hope. Other than that, I hope the publishers keep selecting the fabulous books they do, I hope writers never stop writing and I hope younger generations will learn to move away from technology and love the slower, wholesome feeling of reading a good book. The Covid-19 lockdown has made people appreciate time at home, more wholesome activities and sharing things like books. It is the readers that we will continue to need to ensure the book trade remains healthy.
What are you reading at the moment? Any New Zealand books you’re recommending to customers?
I've just finished reading Still Life by Sarah Winman, sold all our stock, waiting on lots more. It's the best book I've read since The Offing by Benjamin Myers. My favourite New Zealand book just recently has been Remote Sympathy by Catherine Chidgey. She is an amazingly talented writer and I wanted her to win the Ockhams for the second time.
I imagine that your reading pile is always sky-high so how do you decide what to read and how do you deal with "book pile anxiety?”
I do use Good Reads, the on-line site, for stock-piling "want-to-reads." It doesn't really matter if that list gets really long, not like the pile on the office desk, which then gets transferred home and might get closer to being read. I do prefer to read what I really want to read. I get agitated when I "have" to read something. Reading time is precious. There are three main staff members here and two very part time but we tend to split the reading across all of us. Only when there is a stand-out book, will we all try to read it. I try to read lots of non-fiction and a smattering of children's books to keep our combined breadth of reading as wide as possible.
