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Owner of Astley Book Farm

Astley Book Farm has been open for nearly 20 years and is the largest second hand book shop in the Midlands. It has 80,000 books in store and a further 100,000 in storage.

It also has an on-site coffee shop which serves light lunch, coffees, teas and cakes. The majority of produce is sourced from local suppliers.

We caught up with owner Vivienne Mills as part of the #Warksmas2021 campaign.

Where did the idea for Astley Book Farm come from?

We are based on the estate where George Eliot was born, so immediately there was a literary tie-in. It was really our love of books which led to us opening the shop.

People didn’t think it would work, they didn’t think that people would drive out to a book shop. We knew that if you have good enough stock, at a decent price, the people will travel to buy or browse.

We turned what was a derelict farm building, which had been empty for decades, into Astley Book Farm.

What are the reasons customers are attracted to you and keep coming back?

We have a great location here, semi-rural but a central location just five minutes from junction three of the M6. We offer something a little bit different to your regular book shop.

Our staff are friendly and welcoming. We offer good food and a fantastic range of books.

We are open seven days a week and only shut six days a year. We are here when people want to visit us.

What is your most popular product?

Fiction is definitely the most popular and we have a huge range. Although we have the more expensive first editions, what we major on is stuff that people read every day.

We have just had a very big collection of 3,000 books about the old west, which we have bought from the British Western Society too.

How has your business recovered since pandemic restrictions were lifted?

We did exactly what the Government told us to do – build back better. In the first lockdown we extended our car park, bought new stock and spent time decorating. Then in the second lockdown we invested in a new yurt for customers in our coffee shop.

The yurt has a log burner inside and is a lovely setting for the winter.

How important is the Christmas period for you?

We are always busy between Christmas and New Year – people will be coming to us to spend their Astley Book Farm gift vouchers or their National Book Vouchers which we also take.

If you could pick one item from your shop to gift to somebody this Christmas, what would it be and why?

It’s important to understand who they are buying for and what they like. If they like fiction, we have recently bought the whole Booker Prize shortlist. We also have really nice copies of the classics, or can find a really old book from the 1700s which will impress as a gift.

We bought 9,000 books recently about football, so that is what I’d recommend to a sports fan.

Why is it important for people to shop local?

If you’re spending money locally, then you are supporting local businesses, jobs and the general economy.

We all need to support local business and we’re all bad at thinking ‘let’s go out’ and leaving the region - look at what is on your doorstep!

Don’t make your first port of call shopping online.

What does Christmas mean to you and how will you celebrate it this year?

Just before Christmas I’m very lucky to be staying at Astley Castle with my two grandchildren and then we’ll be visiting the carol service at the church. The shop will then shut for three days and we will be having Christmas dinner in our yurt! It’s been a busy summer and we’re looking forward to a break.

In 2022, what one thing will your business be looking to implement to reduce your carbon footprint?

We’re already in the process of looking at everything we use in the coffee shop and making that as eco-friendly as possible. The main target is to reduce packaging and see if we can get it unpackaged from our wholesalers.

Published: 7th December 2021

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