When we were approached by the team at Shakespeare & Co, Paris asking if we could swap over a team member for a short time to share knowledge and ideas, there was only ever going to be one answer and that was “absolument!”
So whilst our Olivia Burness whisked herself off to Paris to see how things work behind the scenes at the world’s most famous bookshop, we were delighted to host the fantastic and enthusiastic Aminata to Mr B’s. We are so lucky to work in such a collaborative industry and this was a super, mutually beneficial opportunity for our booksellers to gain an insight into how we each do things, to gain inspiration and to knowledge-share as well as to soak up the local flavours and culture each city has to offer.
Aminata said of her experience “Spending two weeks at Mr B’s Emporium has been a truly rewarding experience! It was a wonderful place to work surrounded by books in Bath, known for its literary heritage. No matter the language or city, readers and booksellers share the same curiosity and love for stories.
I’m coming back to Shakespeare and Company inspired and grateful for the opportunity! And finally a huge thank you to the amazing team at MrB’s for their warmth and passion!”
Liv was unsurprisingly delighted with the exchange too :“Spending a week at Shakespeare & Company has been a bookseller’s dream come true. I first encountered the shop in fiction (shout out Stephanie Perkins!), and have visited it many times, both in person and on the page, ever since: to go is to travel in the footsteps of Ernest Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, F. Scott Fitzgerald, James Baldwin, and Jack Kerouac. Located on the left bank, the shop itself is like Mr B’s on absinthe: a labyrinthine bookish haven, with rooms opening into more rooms, shelves stretching into (somehow) even more shelves, and every little nook and cranny stuffed with something interesting/delightful/bizarre.
The opportunity to see how this iconic bookstore operates was absolutely incredible, and it was so much fun chatting to book lovers from around the world. I’ve come back to Mr B’s buzzing with ideas! A huge thank you to the S&C team for making me feel so welcome. “