From left to right, Simon, Mark and Tim

Please introduce yourselves.

Simon Key and Tim West are both hairy. Simon likes cheese, particularly gorgonzola and a ripe brie. He lives in Noel Park, a glorious conservation area in Wood Green, and has worked in various chain bookshops in Bristol and London in his time.

Tim also likes cheese, but not quite as much. He’s more of a pork pie type of guy. He also lives just a short electric powered bicycle ride away and he too played the chain store game for many years. He’s very handy with a screwdriver.

We’ve recently taken on our first employee, Mark (who works 2 days a week). He’s not as hairy as Tim or Simon, but has been known to eat both a pork pie and cheese.

Tell us when and why you set up your bookshop?

The Big Green Bookshop in cosmopolitan Wood Green opened in March last year. We (Simon Key and Tim West) were the managers of the local Waterstone’s, until a ‘strategic decision’ was made to close it, in August 2007. This meant that one of London’s most highly populated areas would be left without a dedicated bookshop. We decided this couldn’t happen, and having secured our redundancy, we went about the task of opening our own bloody bookshop.

We chronicled our endeavours online, on a blog entitled ‘Open a Bookshop, What Could Possibly Go Wrong’, which proved rather popular and we also started a Facebook group ‘The Last Decent Bookshop in Wood Green (revisited)’. We were repeatedly buoyed by the incredible local support we got from this. After what seemed like a lifetime, we got the keys to what would be our lovely shop (it was an internet café at the time) and I rather optimistically sent a message out on Facebook, asking for any help in turning it into a bookshop. We were inundated with offers, and were truly touched by the selfless acts of complete strangers. People spent days voluntarily painting, dismantling, building, shelving, and cleaning. We had homemade cakes delivered and boxes of chocolates arrived wishing us luck. People gave us lifts to pick up carpets and paint and all in all it was rather lovely.

With this help and lots of very long hours we opened the Big Green Bookshop just 17 days after we got the keys. An amazing feat made possible by this amazing community.

Are there any specialisations, enthusiasms, interests you and your staff have that are reflected in the shop’s stock?

Although we’re a general bookshop, with a range of books covering all subjects, we do have a number of specialist sections, based on what our customers have suggested and also what we like to read and recommend ourselves. Our Children’s area is particularly good, with a huge selection of the best writing around. We also have a good multicultural section, and a brilliant (if I say so myself) local interest section. I also like to think we have a rather smart fiction section too, which incorporates a lot of choice titles that you’ll realise you have to buy when you come to the shop.

Tim, being into Science Fiction and Fantasy has put together a very well thought out section, and this has quite a following. We’ve recently introduced a manga section, with the guidance of Omeed, a young man who spent two weeks doing work experience with us earlier this year. This is doing extraordinarily well.

Do you work with local authors, hold regular events and readings, etc.?

We’ve done more author events since we opened the Big Green Bookshop than we did in the 20 odd years previously in the chain stores. We had our first author visit a week before the shop had even opened, when Joseph D’Lacey (author of the brilliant eco-horror novel Meat) turned up to sign copies of his book and greet his adoring fans. We arranged for eight authors to turn up on our opening day, and it’s been like that pretty much ever since. Some of our more high profile events have included Will Self, Mark Billingham, Bill Drummond and Maisy Mouse and we usually host at least two evenings a week. We also love to support local talent, and have done a dozen or so launches for books published by authors who live nearby. But it’s not just book events we do. We’ve hosted stand up comedy, an evening of burlesque performance, we show films and we also hire the shop out for functions. If you want to know what’s coming up, then you can check out our website.

One of the most satisfying events we do is our Big Green Wednesdays. Every Wednesday during term time, we invite a different children’s author to the shop to talk to a class from one of the 73 schools in the borough. It’s brilliant, as every Wednesday at 9.30am a class troops in to the shop and sits down on our strange pink foldaway chairs. What happens in the next hour is anyone’s guess. We’ve obviously had dozen’s of kid’s authors do this including Fiona Dunbar, Sam Enthoven, Karen McCombie, Graham Marks and Tanya Landman, and we’re always looking for more, so if there are any authors out there who fancy doing a turn in October or November, get in touch.

What are you reading at the moment?

Simon – I’m reading four books at the moment, which maybe sounds all wrong, but what can you do? I’m just getting stuck into Pygmy by Chuck Palahniuk. I never like to miss out on a Chuck. I’ve also recently found a lovely edition of Herland by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, and this is superb. Last week I recommended a book by Mark Leyner to one of our customers called My Cousin, My Gastroenterologist, which is pure adrenalin driven genius. It reminded me to read it again, so that’s what I’m doing. And every evening I’m reading the Very Hungry Caterpillar to my daughter Freya, who likes to see all the things the Caterpillar ate before he gets a stomach ache.

Tim – I am reading The Lair of Bones by David Farland. This is book 4 (of 7) of the Runelords series. Aside from being a rip-roaring fantasy, what I like about this book (and indeed series) is the magic system that Farland has created. One in which our main characters can “borrow” attributes from people. For example, our hero could borrow strength from 9 people – who would become quivering lumps of jelly – and he would literally have the strength of 10 men. Someone rich (or evil) enough could continue to borrow attributes from thousands of people in an attempt to become “The Sum of All Men” (the title of the first book).

Mark – I’ve just finished A Madness of Angels by Kate Griffin. It’s a brilliant fantasy novel exposing the world of hidden magic in London. Reminiscent of Neverwhere, it’s a dark and compelling mystery with an engaging anti-hero in magician Matthew Swift

What are your criteria for any book promotions (e.g. 3 for 2, window placements, etc.) you may run?

We only stock books that we think our customers will like, that’s the criteria for every buying decision we make. This rarely ties in with the extra special deals from publishers that would allow us to do 3 for 2’s, as these books wouldn’t be a true reflection of the bookshop. I’d rather spend £7.99 on something that I really enjoy than spend a fiver on something second rate. We occasionally discount individual titles (there are a few on our website), although the promotions we do are usually shop wide. So, we’ve had a number of ‘10% off everything’ days, and we have a loyalty scheme for our younger customers, where they get Big Green Bookshop vouchers for making a certain number of purchases. You can sign up to get our newsletter on the website, so you don’t miss out on the special discount days we have.

What makes your shop THE shop to visit when in town on a book-buying mission?

The Big Green Bookshop is totally dedicated to giving the best possible service. We’ve carefully chosen our stock so that there are plenty of wonderful surprises when you come to the shop, as well as many familiar favourites. We know what we’re doing, having clocked up around 40 years of bookselling experience between the two of us, but we don’t presume to know better than our customers, who are the real owners of the shop.

There’s usually a pot of coffee on (free for our customers), and if you can’t find the book you’re looking for we have very efficient distributors who’ll usually get your book for you by the next working day.

If you can’t make it to the glitz and glamour of North London, you can expect the same service from our website. Whilst we don’t list all our books on the website, you can still order any book you want and we’ll always reply within 24 hours.

We have a FREE out of print book search service, and we are in contact with thousands of book dealers all over the world to get you that elusive title.

But do come and visit so you can take full advantage of TBGBs.

You can visit Simon and Tim at:

The Big Green Bookshop
Unit 1, Brampton Park Road
Wood Green
London
N22 6BG

Tel: 020 8881 6767

www.biggreenbookshop.com and woodgreenbookshop.blogspot.com/

1. Kit Berry Says:
   August 4th, 2009 at 1:37 pm

   I’m one of the lucky authors who’s been invited to the Big Green Bookshop for an evening of fun – a talk about Stonewylde and a booksigning. I know they’re very discriminating at the BGB – it took me ages to convince Simon that Stonewylde is definitely right for their shop. I’m really looking forward to this event in November. I love the whole ethos of this place, and the way they’ve flown in the face of the big corporates, the current economy, etc. All power to the little people! And a decent bookshop run by people who read, and who care about their customers.

2. Jan Kilpatrick Says:
   August 16th, 2009 at 9:55 am

   Makes me wish I lived in Wood Green. Now that is close to miraculous!

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