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Dulwich Books has invested nearly £10,000 on a revamp to increase book space and create a new area for events.
The owner Sheila O’Reilly said the redesign made her books more accessible for customers to buy and browse and she could now create a central performance space to hold more events, such as author readings.
O’Reilly, who has owned the south east London shop since 2002, also said the intention behind the refurbishment was to “meet the needs of a 21st-century independent bookshop.”
The redesign means the shop floor now has moveable units and has increased the number of books Dulwich can stock by nearly 20%, which equates to around 50 individual titles. The children's area has also been extended.
O’Reilly told The Bookseller: “In times like these for booksellers, in the economic downturn, you can either decide to make the most of what you’ve got or commit to the future with a presence on the high street.
“There are a lot of shops with modern fronts near us and ours was looking tired, but now it looks inviting to customers.”
Dulwich Books worked with Bookworks Design to create the new-look store, and re-opened on 23rd February. “Initial customer reaction has been fantastic, our regulars popped in to see what we’ve done and the most used word was ‘Wow.’ I can’t say better then that,” O’Reilly added.