NABC Store Manager's Diary — August 26, 2026 (Wed)

The shop was open today, but I had the day off. In the evening I attended a talk event by Komone at Nagoya University. Today's talk featured two people: the owner of 心音ブックス in Motoyama and the president of BOOK STORE Lbio in Kita Ward. Both of them come from industries other than bookstores. Both shops rely mainly on so‑called shared shelves. 心音ブックス's shared shelf has over 100 entries, and Lbio recently expanded their shelving to just under 60. There is a shelf owner for each shelf, so it seems necessary to raise their satisfaction and keep them engaged. The diversity of shelf owners enriches the selection on the shared shelves and makes it more likely that visiting customers (some of whom may also be other shelf owners) will pick things up. To increase shelf owners' satisfaction, I think it's important to hold various exchange meetings for them and provide opportunities for new encounters. What about actual book sales? In both shops the shelf owner communities seem active, so customer numbers are likely rising accordingly. When I asked the two speakers what draws shelf owners together, they said it was the shop owners' personalities. That may be true at first, but later the personalities of the gathered shelf owners themselves help create a good atmosphere. Books and goods created by enthusiastic shelf owners will probably sell well to customers. It was a very informative talk event.