South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1917-04-01
Bookshop for the Woman

pose of this unusual book shop, the
president and manager, Miss Bertha
Beckford. describes the aims Of the
shop somewhat in this fashion: To
be large enough 10 accommodate q
representative stock of standard
works and new publications; small
enough TO have the calm atmosphere
Of the private library; modern
enough 10 present numerous new
features in equipment; old-fashioned
enough 10 offer a welcome to all
those who wish TO browse at leisure
among well-selected books.
The opening of this book shop was
not sudden inspiration. Mss
Beckford had seen the need of such
place on this particular street for
some time. Experience, as man
ager of a college bookshop had
made her familiar with books and
publishers, and she felt she could
turn this experience TO good &C
count in the city. Last summer she
spent looking up and down the
street for the right location, finally
deciding upon her present quarters.
Many changes were necessary TO
turn the building into just the kind
of book shop she wanted, but with
the help of an architect, these
changes were successfully worked
out and the place opened early in
November.
MY idea was" she said, that
equipment and fixtures and an ap-
propriate background are just as
necessary in a book shop as in any
other kind of a shop. For many
years 1 had imagined having a shop
Of my own fitted with colonial fur
niture, a fireplace, and good pictures,
and this place is the result of my
dreams. Simply because bookshops
had never been equipped in this way
did not seem to me sufficient reason
why they could not be, and so 1 re-
solved to try the venture myself.
Everything 1 have done has been
with the purpose of making the shop
more attractive to book lovers.
think it is just the feminine touch
and the use of my imagination that
has given the place a different look
and atmosphere from what you find
in the stereotyped book store. And
| il is just because I feel that the
feminine touch and the use of the
| imagination help so much in this
! business that 1 believe il offers a
/ special field for women. I don't
mean by that that the masculine
thought isn't a help indeed, the
ideal book shop would perhaps be
one managed Jointly by a man and
woman.
'In the meantime. women are
coming to me and asking me how I
came TO start this place-wondering
if they can. OF course, il is difficult
TO get the right kind of training for
it, A regular course in salesman
ship would not be adequate, for you
do not sell books in the same way
that you sell other goods. Custo-
mers want you to be able TO tell the
story, and to help them choose
something they will like. I try to
I cad the books myself, so as be sure
they are worth while. Practical eX-
perience in a book shop is the best
kind Of training for a woman who
wants to start a shop of her own,
and with that must go, Of course.
fondness for books and wide ac-
quaintance with them. In this day,
when 10000 books are being turned
out annually, it takes wonderful
judgment 10 select just the right
titles and the right number, so that
you won't be left at the end of the
season with a lot Of books on your
shelves that you cannot hope to
| sell"
Miss Beckford has many interest
/ ing ideas which she hopes to work
out later in her shop. One thing
that she has planned is a series Of
evening readings around the open
fire. She will invite her friends in
to hear poets and prose writer's read
| from their own books and thus re-
new. in a way, the book shop of
/ former days where the literary
| lights Of the day were wont to gath
er and hold rare converse. The
difficulty with that type Of book
shop was, as history shows. that it
usually went TO the wall There
fore the modern problem is. as Miss
Beckford sees it, to maintain a
book shop which has literary at
| mosphere. and still is a business
| success. And one OF the most i'm
| portant features of such a shop. if
| il is thoroughly up-to-date, will be
the children's corner. where fathers
and mothers are advised what to
] purchase for their small sons and
| daughters themselves can sit down
and have as happy a time as they
do round the library table in their
own home