There has been a small reshuffle in bookshops around Dublin lately. Chapters has moved from Abbey Street to their huge new premises on Parnell Street. Easons have finally, after plenty of rumours, closed their Eason-Hanna store on the corner of Dawson Street and just around the corner, Reads (bought by Easons in 2006) has opened a new, larger, dedicated bookstore.
Apart from the abysmal branding of the new Reads store - garishly red facade and chicken scrawl logo - the internal layout of the shop is horrible. With Waterstones and Hodges Figgis within a 2 minute walk, both with four stories of selling space, the new Reads needs to innovate if it is to go up against these two juggernauts. With most of my time spent in the children’s books section of any store I enjoyed the removed room that Easons-Hannas had reserved for young readers. In comparison, Reads has children’s books shelved alongside science fiction, fantasy and adult graphic novels.
Not everything about the new store is negative. Reads look to be trying maintain their edge on selling books at the best price that they can - with a large selection of bestselling and highly acclaimed books available at great prices. But at the cost of the aesthetic pleasure of feeling comfortable in the store, is it worth the saving?