Rare and Racy closing?

[Dan_Ashcroft 10]

Amount of time ive spent around that area and I haven't got a clue what it is :-/

 

 

The best bookshop between York and Cromford by a country mile.

[sheff71 10]

The best bookshop between York and Cromford by a country mile.

 

If it was that good, they probably wouldn't be in the situation they are now - clearly not enough customers think it's worth visiting?

[Dan_Ashcroft 10]

If it was that good, they probably wouldn't be in the situation they are now - clearly not enough customers think it's worth visiting?

 

What situation? It's been a thriving business for 44 years!

 

As Mark Twain once said, rumours of my death have been greatly exaggerated.

[Nagel 10]

They never kept up with the internet age and online shopping. If they had they might still have a thriving business.

[Happ Hazzard 10]

I liked it and think it is a nice shop.

[karl101 10]

They never kept up with the internet age and online shopping. If they had they might still have a thriving business.

 

They sell books on abebooks.co.uk

http://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/SearchResults?sortby=0&vci=5149294

 

K.

[retep 68]

They sell books on abebooks.co.uk

http://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/SearchResults?sortby=0&vci=5149294

 

K.

 

And here,

http://www.rareandracy.co.uk/w/doku.php

[Dan_Ashcroft 10]

They never kept up with the internet age and online shopping. If they had they might still have a thriving business.

 

They are top end - rare first editions etc. They sell through specialist networks and on more exclusive places like Abe.

 

Amazon's not really their marketplace, which is lucky as no one can make money out of Amazon anymore except Amazon.

[SpikeMac 10]

I liked it and think it is a nice shop.

 

I agree with Happ Hazard.

 

I feel odd:)

[Nagel 10]

They sell books on abebooks.co.uk

http://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/SearchResults?sortby=0&vci=5149294

 

K.

 

There's 1057 rather obscure books for sale, hardly a viable business is it? Likewise their own site is half-hearted and not going to bring in much income.

 

I'm not attacking Rare and Racy and I like the idea of them being there as one of the few independent shops in the city centre. Just I think they've failed to keep up with the times and they'll not be there much longer.

[Dan_Ashcroft 10]

There's 1057 rather obscure books for sale, hardly a viable business is it? Likewise their own site is half-hearted and not going to bring in much income.

 

I'm not attacking Rare and Racy and I like the idea of them being there as one of the few independent shops in the city centre. Just I think they've failed to keep up with the times and they'll not be there much longer.

 

I don't get the hatred - you sound like the manager of Waterstones or something!

 

They have to sell obscure books - it's the gap in the market. It's what the 'rare' in their name is for. There's no point selling Dan Brown paperbacks that every charity shop, supermarket etc has coming out of its ears. Rare first editions and academic monographs is the niche that all the cheap 'n' cheerful sellers can't encroach on.

 

Like the best vinyl shops survived whilst the cd-selling chains disappeared, specialist independent bookshops like this will long outlive the likes WHSmiths and Waterstones.

[Nagel 10]

There's no hatred, I already said that I like Rare and Racy. This is what I said:

 

I'm not attacking Rare and Racy and I like the idea of them being there as one of the few independent shops in the city centre. Just I think they've failed to keep up with the times and they'll not be there much longer.

 

They were already established when I arrived in Sheffield in 1975 and haven't changed since, apart from covering up the vintage nude photos one wall was plastered with.

 

I tried to sell some books there a few months ago and the reaction was a resigned depression. They hadn't sold anything in months and didn't want to increase their stock.

 

They've failed to keep up with the times. If you want to keep going as a second hand bookshop you need to be like the Chapel Bookshop in Westleton, the Cromford bookshop or even the Porter Brook bookshop which has a large online presence (14317 books for sale).