The Aardvark Blog

Flea Market Heaven
25/10/2014

Tomorrow is our autumn fleamarket and the warehouse is now full of people setting up their stalls today, to avoid tomorrow morning's rush. There have been dealers on the phone to find out what time we will let  them in, customers turning up 24 hours early and all together a lot of activity.

Just as importantly I have made some very good sales through the shop and the online sales have been going like crazy since I came in at 9.00am. On days like this it is easy to think that this bookselling lark is easy, and to forget the long winter days when nothing is happening and one contemplates the futility of human existence. Stocks are looking really good for Christmas, with some exceptionally beautiful Christmas cards, and the coming of the Brocante has interrupted our processing even more wonderful titles which we will have to sort out next week. We are still making lots of good academic sales, and all in all this has been a very good autumn for us.

Looking ahead to next year I am really excited about our exhibition programme. Our map exhibition for 2015 has a name and a date: 'The Past is Ourselves: Masterpiece Maps from the Marches' will start on Saturday the 2nd of May. I have already collected some magnificent and rare examples, and am talking to collectors about filling in some of the gaps in the show. Similarly we are well advanced in our planning for the 2015 Shropshire Hills Artweek with over half the artists already committed.

After what  has been at times a difficult year, things are looking really positive for 2015. Many thanks to all our customers and supporters who make the whole thing possible.