Independent book shops on the rise in South Africa

A recent article in the UK's Guardian newspaper chronicled "the return of the independent bookshop" - a trend in that country that would seem to defy the likes of Tesco, the supermarket giant that has begun stocking books in its aisles. In South Africa, it's more a case of "the rise of the independent bookshop", because, while secondhand stores have always formed part of the local bookselling landscape, independent shops that sell new books have traditionally been far and few between. But two new businesses in Cape Town are challenging this state of affairs.

The "A is for Apple" children's bookstore and "Kalk Bay Books" opened within weeks of each other and have this much in common: their determined-to-succeed owners have taken among the most visible retail spaces in town. But both Kelly Silberman and Ann Donald, the stores' respective proprietors, recognize that good position alone doesn't guarantee success. Faced with the kind of overheads that comprise the new-book retail game, they've concentrated on emphasizing the "lifestyle" experience that small bookshops, done properly, can offer to entice consumers through their doors.

Plenty of local literature and books on Cape Town

Having been duly lured inside, they find: comfy couches and a stack of "New York Review of Books" within reach; plenty of local literature and books on Cape Town; a notice of an upcoming reading; and, in the slightly-out-of-focus background, rows upon rows of books that seem to generate a quiet warmth. "Kalk Bay Books" is all about the discrete, personal pleasure of reading.

"A is for Apple", on the other hand, is all about chat and sharing - beginning with the exclamations of pleasure customers make upon discovering that they can draw in crayon on the tables. This is a "destination bookshop" whose aim, says Silberman, is to create a space that appeals to both parent - especially mother - and child. Silberman surrounds her "core proposition" of selling the widest variety of children's books around with fun and relaxation: adults can sip coffee while their kids find a new favourite read; the bookshop throws birthday parties; and did we mention that you can draw on the tables?

Having put the finishing touches on their "lifestyle"-oriented environments, Silberman and Donald now face the task of realizing enough business from their target clientele to ensure their bookshops' sustainability. For Donald, one pleasant surprise during this phase has been the support her enterprise has received from local distributors. "Major warehousers like Booksite have helped a great deal," says Donald, who notes that the barriers to running an independent shop for new books would be almost insurmountably high, were it not for some flexibility in wholesale pricing structures.

If distributors are willing to work with independents to help them flourish, then readers may be the most pleasantly surprised of all, as this is likely to encourage more book havens like "A is for Apple" and "Kalk Bay Books" to rise up in South Africa in the years ahead.

Written by Ben Williams