Indie Segrue Books opens to enthusiastic response

Book sales rep David Segrue and his wife Amanda have opened a bookshop in Radlett, Hertfordshire, a move which has been met with enthusiasm by local customers, with first-week sales charting “above forecast”.

The 1,500 sq ft shop has white wooden tables and bookshelves on the ground floor, which features a café along with new titles and cookery books; it gives way to the first mezzanine level, containing illustrated titles, fiction, history, politics, travel, popular science and business books, and a second mezzanine level showcases children’s and Young Adult titles.

Segrue, who runs an independent publishers’ sales agency, said: “The shop has been buzzing. We had a fantastic first week, with sales above forecast. The response from customers has been outstanding and they have been praising the design of the shop, the stock profile and the quality of the coffee and cake. Gifts are selling well, as are greetings cards. Lots of customers are coming in for coffee and cake and then browsing and buying books.”

The first book to be bought by a customer at the new store was How to Draw Almost Everything by Chika Miyata, published by Quarto.

The shop is looking to recruit a full-time barista, and will trial opening at 6.30 a.m. to appeal to the village’s morning commuters.