Somehow, we survived!

The craziness that is known globally as Hay Festival has blown through our small town

Only Kiran Millwood Hargrave!

Day one of the Hay Festival and the town is at its best – beautiful, bright, busy and buzzy. Even two grumpy dog walkers reluctant to say hello to me and Winnie the pooch on our morning saunter can’t squash my good humour… until the predictable non-customers spend ten minutes in the shop photographing our books and even asking if they can snap a picture of the sign asking them not to. I’ve spoken before about this epidemic and it really bothers me. These people aren’t genuine booklovers wanting to record a book jacket they love, or a memory of how North Books makes them feel – they’re trawlers who flash-fry new releases or pretty front covers into their photo apps for what…? Occasionally I challenge their rudeness and they are generally polite, if a little disgruntled, but here in the early throes of the festival I somehow expect better. It takes me a full day to goad myself back into the gaiety and anticipation of Hay’s annual ten-day literary shindig.

The following nine days pass in a flurry of festival-goers and visitors to our bookshop and town. There is a lot of talk about the big heat and people literally throw themselves on the window seat in collapse when they make it from the festival site on foot. It’s an easy short walk but this incessant sun makes it a struggle. Sophie and I tag-team and cover the longer days between us and it’s a marathon. Results are positive though – sales are consistent, we don’t run out of books on the shelves or money in the till and most customers love our shop.

Hay Festival attracts visitors from every corner of the world – returning every year to their favourite accommodation. It’s a circus, but a unique and friendly one and you can’t help but admire its tenacity to adapt to changing market conditions like loss of arts funding and big corporate sponsorship. This year we enjoy our own fair share of author-y attention in the shop and there’s a good Hay vibe in the annual Fair on the Square during Bank Holiday weekend and on into Hay’s first Cider Festival in the second weekend. I whizz up to the site on my electric bike on a few evenings when the weather cools and I see some great events, good comedy and a film. If you haven’t journeyed to the festival yet then I encourage a foray next summer – plus the smaller Winter Festival at the end of November is a more intimate but equally engaging treat. It takes over Hay Castle and is timed to coincide with the Christmas lights switch-on – boosting its festive appeal.

We had daily visits from festival authors including Shuggie Bain author Douglas Stuart

And now breathe. We are in Pride Month and I rather cleverly (and with help) flipped our festival tent window prop into a Pride rainbow of sorts, enveloping all the lovely LGBTQ titles we have on sale. The response is mixed but I receive the odd compliment from someone pleased to see it and it reminds me that even in Hay, a left-leaning liberal town, there is still a need to celebrate diversity.

Bookshop friend, Hannah, helps install the Pride display in matching attire - I couldn’t resist a snap

Independent Bookshop Week starts next Saturday, 13 June, and we have a number of author visits and general good fun planned. Customers seem to enjoy our version of ‘bookola’ where every third customer wins a blind-date with a book (slightly damaged or proof copies), and there are other giveaways and publisher visits too so it’s a good time to visit your local indie bookshop.

Post Hay Festival we have lots of newly-signed copies and groaning tables of stock at North Books so do pop by for your favourite author’s latest release and get our recommended summer holiday reads…

https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/paperbacks-for-the-poolside?&new-list-page=true

I always feel slightly sad discarding my festival programme and schedule (still old school, back of envelope), do you?

And by the way, the chip shop did open in time! Cod was fried. And now, snooze…