Welcome to the final part of this little blog all about how Mr B’s came about. Part 2 of this 3-part post saw us signing the lease, renovating and designing the shop space, choosing and shelving the stock and selling our first book before we’d even opened. This final part takes us from the first day we opened the shop to our official launch on 1st July 2006, as well as the first few weeks of trading, where we finally got to experience the reality of life as independent booksellers.
A Soft Launch and Panic Pen Purchasing
We were acutely aware that despite now owning a fully stocked bookshop, we had no real idea what we were doing and so before inviting all our family and friends to celebrate our shiny new shop with a big launch, we were keen to test the Bath waters with a couple of weeks trading first. We opened the doors to our very first curious customers on 22nd June 2006 on a scorching hot day. As we were absolutely shattered from all our efforts getting the place ready to open, most of the first few days remain a total blur in my mind. There were a few vivid memories, however, from those first couple of weeks which I know will always stay with me.
The Pen Purchasing Panic
As we opened the doors on that day in June under a hot blue sky, the reality of what we were doing hit me square in the face. I might have finally mastered the till manual, but in all other respects I had massive imposter syndrome. What the hell was I doing? Who was I fooling that I knew how to run a bookshop? How did any of the software really work? What if people asked me about a book I had never heard of?
As we physically opened the door to our very first customer, I was completely overwhelmed by panic and I literally ran away. I took off down the street, shouting back to Nic and Harvey that we needed pens – “We don’t have enough pens!” I yelled. I ran to Woods the Stationers, bought more pens we didn’t actually need and then stood at the end of our street under the burning sun, trying to bring my own internal temperature down. About ten minutes later I took a deep breath, gave myself a good talking to, walked back into my shop and started my bookselling career in earnest.
The Other Berlin Girl
My fears immediately became my reality within just two minutes of walking back inside the shop. I was asked by the very first customer I served if we had “The Other Berlin Girl” in stock. I tried to stay calm. My brain was a jumble and I didn’t know this book. Or did I?
As my mind tried to fumble back to the million and one spreadsheets of book titles, I put on my best customer service smile and tried to look unperturbed as I frantically searched the title on our system. I typed in “The Other Berlin Girl“. Nothing came up. I tried under “Berlin”. Nope. Ahhhh! So I tried “The Other Girl” just in case I had misheard and yes BOOM! Of course! “The Other BOLEYN Girl” (a massively popular book at that time). AND we had it in stock. Thank the heavens. “Why yes, we do have that book in stock, let me find it for you” I said, giving my very best impression of a competent, calm and experienced bookseller.
Smile!
“Don’t open a shop unless you like to smile”, so goes the Chinese expression and grin we did, all through the first chaotic few weeks. Most of the time we grinned because we were genuinely loving things and were setting out to be the friendliest bookshop in the world, but at other times smiling hid our moments of doubt and exhaustion. It also became our default reaction to the not infrequent times we were told at the beginning that we were “ever so brave” to give up our lucrative careers to set up during a recession and that our shop was “very tucked away and we hope people find you” – observations which, although well meaning, left our stomachs clenched in worry even as our faces beamed.
The Unanticipated Randomness and Community Aspects of Bookselling
No amount of research could prepare us for how utterly random and varied each day would turn out be as the owners of a bookshop. The cheerful Gardners delivery driver who brought treats for Vlashka; the kind messages from local businesses and bookshop owners across the country welcoming us to the high street; the tourists who wanted me and Nic to sign their books; the people who came in asking if they could buy the bath; the guys from The Firehouse Rotisserie who found our missing A-frame and brought it back by way of a hilarious ransom note through our door.
Subsumed by spreadsheets and mired in design details, we had never really given any thought when setting up the shop as to what it would be like to feel part of a community locally – with people somehow feeling that the shop was theirs too (in a good way!) and offering to help spread the word – and also nationally, as part of the collegiate, kind-hearted and generous world of UK book-sellers. Each day brought something new, funny, kind and frequently a little strange our way – and still does!
Prepping the Launch
We had done it. We’d opened the doors, people were coming in and actually buying books. The dream had become our daily reality and we felt ready to make it all official by hosting a proper launch party.
First up was to try and get a celebrity name to officially open Mr B’s, someone from the book world of course. But who would take the trouble of coming down to a small, new independent store that no-one had heard of on a “tucked away” side street in Bath?
We asked help from our only contact in the publishing industry, the lovely publicist Hannah Corbett who was a friend of Harvey’s from uni. She suggested that we might get Kathy Lette to come – she had a new book out called “How to Kill your Husband”, she was lovely and likely up for a fun trip to Bath. Kathy kindly agreed and the launch was set for 1st July 2006. (labelled “Independents’ Day” by local newspaper The Bath Chronicle).
Next question – how do you get word out about your launch on a non-existent marketing budget? Remember, these were the days before social media and we were only two weeks old. The main way we could think of getting the word out was the tried and tested way, using flyers, posters and word-of-mouth. We sent our poor parents out to hand around flyers on the Park & Ride buses, asked a few local businesses if they’d put up some posters, invited all of our friends, asked customers to spread the word and The Bath Chronicle agreed to come along on the day to do a little feature on us. We just kept our fingers crossed that people would show up!
Officially a Bookshop!
Launch day arrived. The bathtub was filled with ice for the bubbly and we had adorned the shop front with a massive, oversized ribbon and bow, waiting to be cut. It was yet another sweltering day and bang on time, the inimitable Kathy Lette sashayed down the street in her heels and cute turquoise summer dress, massive coloured sunglasses and bright lipstick, ready to join in the fun.
We couldn’t have wished for a more glamorous and sparkly special guest for our big day. She brought a joyous spirit to the occasion and we will forever be grateful to her for caring enough to come all that way to cut the ribbon and crack open the bubbly to mark our send off into the choppy high street seas.
And that, in three large nutshells, is where and how Mr B’s began its life. A culmination of much creative thought and dreams as well as many, many hours of sweat and spreadsheets. Like with all start-up businesses, it was a mammoth effort underpinned by immensely supportive families and friends and we were fortunate that once launched, our baby Mr B’s was then adopted and loved by an ongoing succession of loyal customers, eager to watch it grow and take its next steps.
The Next Chapter
Twenty years almost to the day, on 4th July 2026 we will be hosting a very special 20th Birthday Party Weekend, free for all and held at Mr B’s and in our offices across the street. There will be pop-up stalls from some of our close local collaborators, as well as author drawalongs, doggy portraits, therapy dogs, cake and puppetry. We would love you all to please come along and join us to celebrate this milestone. I promise not to run away and buy pens this time!
Thanks for reading.
Juliette (aka Mrs B)
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