Independent bookstores across the Bay of Plenty are turning a new page and remaining optimistic for summer, despite a tough retail climate.

With automatic email replies on and Kiwis clocking off for the holidays, eyes will be off screens and on pages.

As a result, Bay of Plenty book retailers were gearing up for a busy summer of recommending beach reads.

Briar Simons, owner of Pāpāmoa second-hand bookstore Xanadu Exchange, said people were looking for light reads so they could “lie down on the beach and read a nice romance”.

Customers were also after the popular titles during the summer.

Simons said everybody was looking for authors such as Freida McFadden, Kristen Hannah and Sarah J. Maas.

“I get a lot of requests for the same book, and if I do get them ... boom, they’re gone.”

Summer was Xanadu’s busiest time of year.

When Simons spoke to NZME, 1000 books had just been dropped off at the store within an hour.

The number of customers had picked up since the beginning of December and Simons expected to be busy until the end of February.

Xanadu Exchange was open every day except Christmas Day.

Xanadu Book Exchange owner Briar Simons. Photo / Gavin Ogden

Simons said her biggest challenge running the second-hand bookstore was paying the rent.

Having downsized from three to two buildings, her situation had improved.

But the economy and rising prices dictated her customers’ spending habits.

“By the time people go to the supermarket and get their food, books are a luxury,” she said.

“People are living their daily lives and money’s a bit tight.”

Simons said business was quieter during the week but weekends were “full-on” and people visited from across New Zealand during public holidays.

She said her loyal customer base kept returning and brought her new customers.

“It’s nice to support your locals, and that’s why a lot of people come to me, because they like to support me and they’ve been coming to me since I started.”

The competitive pricing of her books also helped her business stay afloat.

Nothing was over $5 and customers received store credit when they brought in books.

Customers could swap out the old for new, which in turn meant fresh stock for Simons.

“Prices are a really big thing.

“If we start raising prices, that’s the end of the business. I always promised that I wouldn’t go more than $5 for books. I’ve stuck to that and it has worked well for me.”

Customers browse Xanadu Book Exchange in Pāpāmoa.

Xanadu Exchange sold more than just books to keep the business going.

Simons stocked CDs, DVDs, jigsaws and more.

“It’s a drawcard for everything. People come in for a book and then they end up buying a DVD or a piece of china. It all helps.

“If you get people who don’t read, they’re not going to come and visit me. Some customers’ husbands don’t read, but if you put something there [that they will buy], the husband will buy something.

“You can browse all day in this shop and turn around the corner and see something else.”

Round and Round in Mount Maunganui also expanded its business plan beyond selling books to “keep going” during tough times.

The store sold art by local artists and records, and hosted printmaking sessions and book clubs.

Owner Stella Clark said doing lots of new and different things helped it stay afloat.

During NZ Music Month, bands played in the shop while people browsed.

“We want to expand on what a bookshop traditionally is and offer what the community wants.”

Clark said tourists sought out the store during summer and many travellers, especially people working in kiwifruit, attended the printmaking sessions as a different activity.

Round and Round in Mount Maunganui. Photo / Bijou Johnson

Katja Pott from Katja Pott Art and Books in Historic Village had been bookselling for 30 years.

She said bookselling was a “struggling business”.

But she endeavoured to service her community’s wants, ordering in specially requested books for her customers.

Rotorua’s McLeods Booksellers manager and book buyer Gabrielle, who did not want her last name published, praised the store’s team for keeping doors open.

“We are book people who are passionate about reading and connecting readers with great books.”

She said the employees prided themselves on “really good customer service”.

The store offered a range of staff favourites – books they had read and loved.

“These are books that people keep coming back to, wanting another recommendation from us, having read something that we’ve recommended and enjoyed.

“People keep coming back to enjoy the shop, enjoy the experience and get to see really great quality books.”

The store had a lot of repeat customers because employees were good at matching books with people, something online retailers cannot do, she said.

“That’s our point of difference,” she said. “It comes down to service and selection.”

Xanadu Exchange owner Briar Simons’ summer reading recommendations:

• The Housemaid series, Freida McFadden
• Anything by Kristen Hannah
• Anything by Colleen Hoover
• The Seven Sisters series, Lucinda Reilly,
• 1984 or Animal Farm, George Orwell
• To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee

Bijou Johnson is a multimedia journalist based in the Bay of Plenty. A passionate writer and reader, she grew up in Tauranga and developed a love for journalism while exploring various disciplines at university. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Classical Studies from Massey University.