The Invitation.

There is a hidden danger that many people who live and work in Madrid have to deal with on a regular basis. It can strike without warning, and the consequences, particularly on the following morning, can be dire. It's known as the Invitation...
It may not be the healthiest lifestyle, but I've gotten into the habit, 2 or 3 times a week, of popping into a bar on my way home at night. For the price of a small beer or wine, I'll be given a free snack/aperitivo, the chance to relax and sometimes practice my Spanish with the other people in the bar.
That in itself is probably not too harmful, but the danger is when a second drink is ordered, or perhaps a whisky or gin "for the road". Because you then run the risk of the invitation. It's quite common for bar-owners here to reward a regular customer by inviting them to another drink when they are just about to leave. It's obviously a cost-effective way of building up a loyal customer base, and means the bar appears busy for a little longer - it's often the case that busy bars and restaurants attract more customers easier if they are already seen to be popular.
In the last week or so I've been "invited" to a last drink twice, which is an indication that perhaps I'm indulging a shade too much. It's also meant I've been sluggish in the mornings, so I now need to cut my drinking down. Not a lot, I believe in moderation. ;) Until the next invitation...
Meanwhile in the bookshop or on the web, the one book that sells as soon as I get a copy, is "la Ladrona de libros" (The Book Thief). Next time I wrangle a 2nd hand version I'll keep it to myself for a while, I want to read it in tandem with the English version. On one of the nights I'm not bar-hopping, of course..

Sad news

It came as a shock today to hear of the demise of Paco de Lucia, held by many as the world's greatest guitarist, and a legend n Flamenco circles. Paco de Lucia died at the age of 66 of a heart attack whilst on a family holiday in Mexico, and will be sorely missed by music lovers.
Here is an example of some of his guitar work.

The awkward squad...

It doesn't matter which town, city or country I am in, when I need to use a bank or post office I'll end up behind the awkward squad. You know the type - they can't go there to do straight-forward tasks like I do, such as sending a parcel to another town, or stopping a direct debit.
No, the majority of people always seem to need complex transactions carrying out, that take an inordinate amount of time. Perhaps it involves sending a package to an institution in Latvia, but taking an item there to forward onto a charity in Botswana. Or perhaps paying a bill in Mongolia and releasing payment 15% every 3rd Saturday in months with an "R" in it.
Yes, I've just spent half a hour of my time at a local Correos (post office) in order to send some books. Needless to say, my transaction only took a minute. When the number of sales allow it, I will open a contract and thankfully get the courier people to collect from my shop.
No matter how often I pray to the God of "the law of averages" the people in front of me in such places always have highly complex tasks to complete. Why can't more customers in these establishments be more simple - like me? "Rant Over"

An enjoyable trip...

For various reasons, I had to neglect the bookshop for a couple of days last week, as I made a trip to London.
The trip was very enjoyable, I picked up quite a few "new" second hand books for the shop, and enjoyed 2 sunny days - which was apparently quite exceptional for London. Really quite nice to see the daffodils out and blossom appearing on trees, and although certain prices were shocking, all in all the short holiday was very worthwhile.
However all good things come to an end, and I was soon back in the normal bookshop habitat in central Madrid. The short holiday has left me feeling a little tired, and there was quite a bit of catching up and arranging to do in the shop. Worryingly, I got annoyed when potential customers came in, as purchases meant more work and logging stock movements. So the plan for tomorrow is to be more welcoming and friendly to anyone who enters the doors. Promise! In the meantime pictures of some of the "new" stock.

Giving that little bit extra...

It's a tough market out there, and independent shops and bars have a big battle on their hands, competing not just against web operators but also against chains that can negotiate big discounts with suppliers and so constantly undercut on price. A friend of mine who opened up a wine/tapas bar told me that certain chain bars were selling beers at below the cost he pays to stock them. In his case he attracts loyal customers by offering a unique range of premium beers and wines, and by making sure that the free snacks (or aperitivos) keep flowing.
The offering of a free snack with a drink has been commonplace for many years in Madrid's bars and tavernas, and the extra competition in the marketplace now means some places even give a free plate of paella, or a dish of soup/stew with drinks. I've noticed also that certain shops are now giving free gifts or enticements to paying customers, as well as offering one-off discounts to get customers in the shop. It's certainly something I'm trying to do in the bookshop. I charge a little less per book when selling with Amazon marketplace as the buyer then has the postage charge on top. So in the bookshop we have a current offer of a free poster when customers spend 12 euros or more. I'm also thinking of introducing more gifts for paying customers, but this will take some thinking - what would appeal most to paying customers?
Incidentally. the most interesting point about the bookshop's customers this month, is that they have been mainly Spanish speakers (in fact all the web customers have had Spanish names). Something more for yours truly to ponder upon...are the Spanish more likely to buy from small, local operators than American and British expats?

Missing something?

This is a question that often comes up of Brits working/living abroad - what do you miss from Blighty? Sometimes the answer is a certain manufactured British foodstuff like Marmite, tea-bags or baked beans, although to be honest these goods are easier to get and are now even in some supermarkets. I can't say I miss much British food. I may indulge in a sausage roll or pork pie when I head back to England, but there is certainly no shortage of pork products available here in Madrid. Missing a good curry - well no, there are good places to get curry now in Madrid, even though the price can be a little steep.
Of course I wish I could see family members and the better-half more often, but that's often the case when people work away in the UK. It's not even the case of missing banter or good conversation, as there is a decent sized expat community you can meet up with in Madrid, often down the Irish pub.
Do I miss the constant rain and long periods without the sun back home? What do you think? No, but one thing I do miss, and it's a strange choice, is fitted carpets. I know there is the hygiene question and perhaps they are not suited to a continental climate. I realise also that rugs can be bought here. But I still miss the fitted carpet effect, especially on a cold winter's morning!
There are of course other things I miss from back home - public parks in the UK are fantastic, and although there are some here in Madrid I still prefer those back home. Plus pubs that have live free music - there are a few in Madrid, but again the choice is far better back home. Having said all that, there are very few things that I really miss, especially now we have all the internet has to offer. As I posted on an earlier thread, I don't even miss British television - I don't have time to watch it! Even more to the point - I don't lack reading material either - I have literally thousands of English books to browse through in my Madrid shop. :)

If I were X.

Yesterday wasn't such a bad day; there were various visitors to the shop at different times, and the feedback from the internet wasn't bad either. Today however looks like being a bit quieter, and at these times I start to wonder what famous business people would do in my shoes in order to improve sales in the bookshop.

For example "If I were Michael O'leary (of Ryanair fame)" perhaps I'd sell books at a cent each, but charge for the cover...

"If I were Florentino Perez (big spending president of Real Madrid)" I'd pay to get JK Rowling or Stephen King to attend a bookselling event...

"If I were Lord Alan Sugar" I'd run a weekly competition in the shop, and tell a new person each week "You're Fired!"

What would you do?

The colour of money.

Sometimes I get the impression that people place different values on certain things here in Spain. Yesterday I bought a ham bocadillo (similar to baguette) for the very reasonable price of 2,50 euros. That price is lower than some around here, and the seller had decided to skimp a little. But instead of cutting back on the expensive ingredient, the ham, he had skimped on the bread instead. You often notice, even in the best establishments, that when you go for a Menu del Dia, that there is a distinct shortage of salt pots or oil jars. Where possible you are expected to re-use your knife and fork for the second course - I can't see major savings in the dishwasher with 10 fewer bits of cultlery, but there you go.
Another cost-saving feature is the lights in the washroom. There is normally a timer cut-out, so you have to be careful if you spend too long on a call of nature as you can end up sitting in the dark, looking around for the switch. I suppose it's an efficient way of saving energy, but it does take some getting used to.
I have to stress here that I'm not claiming to be in any way a better judge of business sense - I realise I have a lot to learn. I'm still wondering whether I made a mistake yesterday. An elderly lady came into Offside Books looking for a second hand book in French. The only ones I could see were travel guides, which were hardly what she was looking for. However I did find a children's book of fables (in French) in the one euro category, and in a fit of genorosity I decided to offer it as a gift (un regalo). Now of course one euro doesn't really mean a lot, but the lady was very appreciative, and spent a few minutes thanking me and wishing the shop lots of luck. Which is exactly what we need if I give any more books away! ;) So if you're in Madrid pop down to our store on Torija 8 (near plaza Santo Domingo) and see if you can wrangle yourself a bargain - I'm obviously a soft touch!

Wake up and smell the coffee...

If there is one thing that defines life in Spain, it's not flamenco, it's not tapas, it's not even the passion for La Liga although many do possess this attribute. It's the need to take a coffee in the morning. It may be with or without milk, and some may even add a drop of brandy or whisky to it. But bars in towns and cities do a brisk trade every morning, as the Spanish people generally are coffee addicts.

I've been told that here in Madrid, many bars stay profitable mainly due to the morning coffee trade. And it's easy to see why if you look around a typical hostelry at that time. Every few minutes a fresh batch of office or shop workers will come in and order their coffees, often with a snack serving as breakfast. Croissants and Nepolitanas are popular here, as are warm offerings like toast, chunks of tortilla or pork slice rolls. But the famous breakfast snacks in Madrid are churros and porras, not always taken with coffee as the famous combination is "chocolate con churros" popular with all-night clubbers.
It now seems that these essential Spanish hot drinks and snacks are becoming available worldwide - according to this article in Smartplanet, franchises selling these products are spreading worldwide. "Churros seem to be the next cupcake or cronut. Chefs around the world are trying to make them, although there’s often a twist on the basic oily dough, sometimes stuffed with things like with cheddar, green tea, and eggs. "
Meanwhile back in the more humdrum world of the Offside bookshop, we are still feeling the effects of the current cold and wet weather in Madrid (2C this morning with sleety rain outside). This has a definite negative impact on shoppers, so it's just as well we sell online in Spain too, via the omnipotent Amazon. The book which we've sold most of online is the Spanish version of Marcus Zusak's "The Book Thief" (La ladrona de libros), and in fact we are currently out of stock. The best selling book in-store has been Sid Lowe's "Fear and Loathing in La Liga" - we still have copies instore, and offer a great price online for customers throughout Spain. Please support our bookshop by buying this great book.

It's getting windy!

The Atlantic storms have been hitting the north of Spain, as well as other countries like Ireland and the UK. But this blog entry was originally meant to discuss the diet here in winter. Contrary to many articles, there are lots of Spanish dishes that contain vegetables. A lot of them though, are bean based - there are a lot of different varieties, including fabes (used in fabada), alubias, judias verdes etc. And then there are the pulses - garbanzos (chickpeas) and lentejas (lentils) are used in many dishes.

So, it's not hard to maintain a diet containing vegetables here in winter, when perhaps the desire for a salad is lower. However, ahem, one has to bear in mind, that things can get a bit ..err.. windy. :)
Meanwhile, in the bookshop, I'm as busy as ever, despite meagre daily sales in the shop itself. Offside Books now has a marketplace on Amazon for customers throughout Spain. You can see our offerings on Amazon.es. It may seem strange for an independent bookstore to sell via Amazon, but they have really cornered the market. No point spending thousands on setting up an independent website, then thousands more on marketing it, when it's already done by the American giant.
It's not just a case of cataloguing, describing and posting the books on the web - you then have to revisit your offers on a regular basis. Often a competitor will sneak in and try and undercut you - there is one dealer under the name DealES that always comes in with 3 separate offers (I wonder if they actually have certain titles in stock), just below the price you have offered. Of course we will try to offer the best price (for a similar quality book) so we will keep monitoring our books and adjust our price when necessary. Even so, we try and keep the best prices for physical visitors to our shop - if you find this is not so you can always try and haggle a better price!
That is really what our shop is about - we try and offer good quality books at the best price you can find in Madrid and much of Spain. If you live in Spain and value independent bookshops, please try and visit us, either at our physical store (calle Torija 8 Madrid ) or via the Amazon marketplace link. And if you're not looking to buy books - perhaps you actually need to get rid of some to make space - we accept donations gratefully, especially any books in Spanish as our current selection is somewhat limited.

Madrid expats versus Costa expats

Just a quick entry today - I've been busy assembling a new bookcase, which means I now have to reorganise the book displays. It's an interesting job, but more time consuming than you'd think... Anyway, I've noticed on Twitter and on expat talkboards in Spain that apparently it's become a lot harder to receive BBC programmes here in Spain, and that it's causing anxiety for some! However, the Brits (and Irish) I know here in Madrid, haven't mentioned it, and indeed don't appear to watch television outside of sports events broadcast in local bars and pubs. I don't think this is because the expat population here are necessarily more likely to learn Spanish and avoid British television (some may be, others aren't). My theory is that the vast majority of Brits/Irish based here in Madrid came to work, often in the teaching industry. Outside of work there are various distractions (music, sports, eating and drinking, theatre, cinema etc) that mean the need to watch the Beeb is very small. One or two may even pop into my bookstore? On the other hand, a lot of folk on the Costas have gone there to retire, and may be of an age where learning a language is very difficult anyway. They have a lot more free time on their hands and so like to keep up with the goings-on down Albert Square.. Just my theory, and I'd be interested to hear if anyone can come up with a more likely explanation?

Why jobseekers coming to Madrid should not despair.

The last two weeks in the bookshop have been slow, and although we're starting to sell online (another blog entry on this to come) we are certainly not in a position to take on staff. Yet in the last few weeks I've had a couple of direct approaches and in both cases we've probably reached a positive outcome. The first approach, weirdly enough, came from a Swedish guy who was looking for part-time work to tie in with his Spring language course in Madrid. I was/am not in a position to take him on, yet I do know of someone starting an internet venture in English who needs help with basic research and input. So when this Swedish guest turns up we may be able to fix him up - and luckily he's fluent in English. Incidentally, it did seem strange that only a couple of months after launching a bookshop in Madrid, someone in Sweden has even heard about us. Well it turns out he follows Sid Lowe the journalist on twitter - and of course for our launch night we had Sid signing his fantastic book "Fear and Loathing in La Liga".

The next direct approach came from someone locally. I have to admit to being surprised that I've had very few people popping in (virtually no Spanish) asking for work possibilities or even help with cvs, work contacts in the uk etc. However this person did contact me, and although I knew there was no vacancy current, I asked them in for a chat. I'm really glad I did - turns out this person has history in instigating and organising bookstore events, and also gave me great tips on marketing the store - so it looks likely I'll be able to push some freelance business their way fairly soon.
I think the moral to all this is you have to be prepared to push yourself out, and directly approach businesses. If you can bring extra value, possible extra custom to a business, they may well listen carefully. If they don't, try the next enterprise until you succeed. Of course the biggest demand for English speakers in Madrid is in the teaching game, but there are opportunities elsewhere. Ask around, expat entrepreneurs like Pierre Waters who are based here can give great pointers on how to find work. Perhaps the best tips on the subject comes from his article where one of his best pieces of advice is Differentiate yourself – Think about your “competitive advantage” as a foreigner and profesional and target relevant companies and jobs. Read his article very carefully, it's full of great insights like that! I also recommend joining Facebook groups eg "Expats in Madrid", "Guiripreneurs in Madrid", as you can gleam great advice from those already here. And don't be afraid to pop in expat businesses like ours at Offside books, or a local Irish pub, and ask the manager for advice. They may not know any leads currently, but they can give further tips on how to progress the job hunt.
Good luck to all!

Madrid - The 24 hour society

Madrid has been known for many years now as a party town, where bars and discos stay open until 6 or 7 in the morning. Having said that, the majority of bars away from party zones will either close by midnight, or perhaps 2 or 3am at the latest. I'm no longer of an age to keep those hours, but I've stumbled across a couple of things recently that indicate how the tourist/hospitality industry in Madrid manages to earn money at all hours of the day. The first was after a weekend conversation with a local bar-owner, albeit a trendy place rather than the eating establishments. It was 2 in the afternoon, and I ended up being the only customer so I asked him - does your bar attract the evening crowd then? (generally eating places are packed at the weekend) He told me that yes he gets a lot of customers at night, and indeed his particular bar stays open until 7 in the morning at weekends! Apparently it's a common thing for party goers to come to Madrid for the weekend from northern European countries, and spend their time clubbing and bar-hopping. Some even go without booking a hotel room for those 48 hours, so they only need to buy the cheap air ticket. I can only guess at what substances they take to keep going... The second example is at another end of the spectrum. Passing by Plaza de España each day I've noticed you often see a group of Japanese or Chinese tourists taking photographs. We are talking about 30 or 40 people, and I never seem to have seen them going into local bars or shops. It clicked this morning what the score was - I saw them getting on a tourist bus to go to the shopping village at Las Rozas. No doubt they also visit scenic places like Toledo or Segovia, but for that particular set of tourists Madrid is a place to buy premium fashion brands at reduced prices. So my chances of selling English or Spanish language books to them are probably close to zero. :( Talking of timetables, I'm afraid that my bookstore, Offside Books, does not keep extravagant hours. We are normally open from 10.30 to 15.00 and from 17.30 to 20.30 You may notice that the shop closes for the Spanish lunch period. I need this time, not only to get something to eat myself, but also to do some errands away from the shop. So please forgive me if you're in the area but the shop opening times don't fit your schedule!

Today is not a sunny day.

This is the first in my diary "Confessions of an English bookseller in Madrid" so please allow me to get into my stride. I promise in later entries to point out things that perhaps you won't read elsewhere, particularly about starting a bookshop business in Spain. It certainly isn't an easy venture, so I hope to pass on one or two tips that may help others considering starting their own business (and yes, on many days I'd be tempted to shout "don't do it!") I know during the year we have to have some cloudy days, some rain etc. It isn't always sunny in Madrid. But it has to be said that grey cold days are bad news for booksellers - the number of browsers disappears, and I end up heating an empty shop. Still, I've decided to go for a Menu del Dia in a bit - at least there will be part of the day I can enjoy. In the meantime, a quick look at some books we hold in-store (we are at calle Torija 8 Madrid, near Plaza de Santo Domingo).