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Barefoot Books is to open a new retail environment and “lifestyle centre” in Oxford alongside its publishing premises, following the company’s move to the area earlier this year.
Barefoot co-founder Tessa Strickland said the launch follows the company’s success with a similar venture in the US, where Barefoot has retail space in Concord, Massachusetts, and at the FAO Schwarz toy store in New York. The 5,000 sq ft centre will open in Summertown, Oxford, on 8th October, and will comprise the publisher’s offices, a retail area focusing on books, a café and a storytelling area, as well as an area for events ranging from yoga classes to African drumming sessions. Strickland said the centre aims to develop Barefoot as a family brand.
She said: “We will have a rolling programme of events and will offer an environment where families feel they can drop by for storytelling sessions, visit the store and enjoy the space."
The retail area will sell Barefoot books and specially selected products such as toys. As well as its picture books and gift books, Barefoot is launching an independent readers series in October. This will comprise three categories of illustrated books, covering early readers and books for those aged eight years and over. Barefoot aims to publish six new titles into each area every year.
Barefoot will also use the centre to grow its Barefoot Books Ambassadors programme of individual sellers, which it says represents the most rapidly expanding sector of the company’s activities, by trialling events that they can adapt for their own communities.