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Hi all,

I've been reading recently about dedicated bookshops opening for example the ripped bodice which focuses on romantic novels.  
I know there are a few dedicated cookbook bookshops around the world but it seems there aren't many.
My question is do you think there is demand for more dedicated cookbook bookshops? And if so what would your ideal cookbook bookshop have? Apart from books obviously 

Thanks

Originally Posted by: Hughe

… what would your ideal cookbook bookshop have? Apart from books obviously …

Proximity. For example, Books for Cooks (in London) is my closest dedicated cookbook shop I think but is 20 miles or so away and while it takes maybe 45 minutes to reach them by car from my house parking nearby is abysmal. If I use the Tube it would entail three different line and take nearly 30 minutes more. And twice as long as that it I were to trust to bus services. Then there is the return journey.

There is also the desire to reduce my carbon foot print and while my current vehicle is exempt from fees in London's recently introduced Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) I would still be contributing to the air pollution in that part of London and there maybe Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs)— where vehicles are excluded — but there are no easiiy accessible maps to locate them. The busses and Tube run whether or not I use them but so too Amazon logisitics and the Royal Mail.

Oh and Books for Cooks is located in an area of London I have no other reason to frequent. No special trip just to visit them.

Catalogue. Books for Cooks deliberately does not have an OPAC which means that one has to hope the book(s) wanted are in stock when visiting them.

Note this is not a bash Books for Cooks session merely anecdotal answers to the OP's question.

Then there is the meta question of "what is a book". Does ink on paper make it a book or electrons exciting a chemical reaction a book? Is one more desirable than the other? Sometimes ebooks are easier to use; for example one only needs the occasional few sheets of paper (to print a recipe on) or place some protective shield over a computer screen.

For the moment it is Amazon, Apple Books. archive.org (for out-of-print reference books), my local library's online access to various publishers backlists (Oxford University Press for example and its Companion series) which I can access for free as a member of the library, and rarely some "grey" sources when acquiring or using recipe books.

Our nearest cookbook shop is Now Serving LA, but we are in the next county, there’s no decent public transportation, and it would be an hour drive— so I order books from our local indie bookshop or Barnes & Noble, which I gather is kind of one of the main forces keeping Amazon from almost completely taking over the book world. I want to keep bricks & mortar bookshops in business because they are some of my favorite places— it’s worth a bit extra on the cost of the books since it’s not like I’m buying them every day. It’s worth it to be able to browse (and buy a Butterbeer Latte or whatever on Harry Potter’s birthday and see the shop full of kids, including my own, in full Hogwarts regalia.). I should add, if (like me) you’re not into buying your books from Amazon, Libro.fm is a great resource for audiobooks and it gives some of the money to the indie bookshop of your choice. I should also add, I look at the customer reviews on Amazon, and then I know what I want to find or order at the local bookshops.

Having just visited the wonderful Kitchen Arts & Letters in NYC yesterday (I highly recommend for anyone visiting the city) I realize the most important part of visiting a cookbook store, for me at least, is a knowledgeable, engaged staff who are happy to talk me through what's new, unusual or of special interest. This has been the case for me when visiting Omnivore Books in San Francisco, Book Larder in Seattle and Kitchen Arts & Letters. That expertise always makes it worth paying more than online booksellers.

Sadly there are no bookstores dedicated to cookbooks in my city that I know of, and only 2 that I can find in Australia. If there was one that was local, I'd visit, as I love to browse physical cookbooks, and having knowledgable staff would be essential. Normally I buy online, sometimes after borrowing from a library. The bookshops that I visit only have a standard set of books ie what is popular, and some classics. But it is rare that I am tempted to purchase there.

I'd love a bookshop that was more than a bookshop - food demonstrations/classes, assisting new cookbook authors and some self-publishing help, regular author talks, ..... I am sure they exist but I doubt that there are any such shops in Australia. I recall very fondly a kitchen and home ware shop (with some books) that ran regular tastings, classes, demonstrations etc. I used to go often. What a joy that place was.

Originally Posted by: ThePatheticBaker

Proximity. For example, Books for Cooks (in London) is my closest dedicated cookbook shop I think but is 20 miles or so away and while it takes maybe 45 minutes to reach them by car from my house parking nearby is abysmal.

Same here BFC's is also my local cookbook specialist. Oddly I was in there recently on my yearly nose around. Was very surprised to see that it only seemed to have half? the number of books it had on my previous visit. Have to be completely honest and say it's never been my favorite bookshop and in over 15 odd years  I've never actually bought anything from them. 2 issues for me are as has already been said its a pain to get to but more importantly it just seems to have exactly the same stock you can get from the much easier to get to Waterstones in Piccadilly and then to add insult to injury with the loyalty card it's 10% cheaper. 

I use Amazon's wishlist feature so am aware of their prices and to be honest since about 2019 Amazon's prices have been a bit rubbish. Not 100% against online but much rather physically see a book before buying it. If I order anything it tends to be with Daunts books. 

For any members wanting to know if there is a cookbook store anywhere near you or when you are visiting another city, we have a directory of every cookbook store we know of around the world. If any member knows of a store we don't list, please do let us know and we will add it. We don't add general bookstores that have cookbook sections as that would be impossible to manage - it's more about specialist stores where the focus is cooking and food & drink.

Originally Posted by: Jane

For any members wanting to know if there is a cookbook store anywhere near you or when you are visiting another city, we have a directory of every cookbook store we know of around the world. If any member knows of a store we don't list, please do let us know and we will add it. We don't add general bookstores that have cookbook sections as that would be impossible to manage - it's more about specialist stores where the focus is cooking and food & drink.

Oh that is a great idea.

If that helps :

• In Paris I know of another one in the 6th district called "Appetit" : https://www.instagram.com/appetit.paris?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==


• In Lyon "In cuisine" : Lire - In Cuisine - Café atelier et librairie culinaire


• And in Barcelona there is this one a friend told me about : Dónde estamos (libreriagastronomica.com)