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When Galiano Island Books opened in 1997, our business philosophy was that our first responsibility was to our customers and our community, who are really the same people. Our goal wasn’t to sell as many books as we could; it was to be sure that we put the right book in the hands of the right reader. We believed that as long as we did this we would build a core of regular customers who came to think of Galiano Island Books as their bookstore, and that’s just what happened.
We’ve done this by getting to know our customers and their interests. We’ve also invested a lot of time in getting to know books, and recognizing which books are going to be read cover to cover instead of being put aside after the first 50 or 60 pages. We also put a lot of effort into matching books and readers. It’s easy to tell readers that if they liked one book in a particular genre, such as historical mystery, that they’ll like other historical mystery titles. But reading and enjoying books isn’t a “one size fits all” process. One person enjoys such a book because it exposes them to how people lived in another time and place, whereas another might like the same book because of how the author used humour, developed the characters, or created unexpected twists and turns in the plot. We have always tried to go deeper and get a real feel for what makes a particular book interesting to a particular person.
We have also been committed to being responsible members of our community. Over the years, we have hosted numerous events to raise funds for community groups, such as the library, the school, and other groups, and have also contributed directly to these various groups. We have also been active members in a variety of community organizations such as the Chamber of Commerce and the Health Care Society. We believe that building a stronger community just makes good business sense over the longer term. If you own a business with 2000 branches across the globe, it doesn’t matter to you if a community gets in trouble; you simply close that branch and open another one somewhere else. When you’re a part of the community though, you “sink or swim” with your neighbours.
Our goal is to bring this same model to our website. We do have a large inventory of books and welcome you to browse them, just like people spend a contented afternoon browsing through our shelves in the store. However, we also want to help you find the book you really want, and we’re going to be doing this in a lot of ways you won’t find at many other virtual stores on the web.
For example, we have real people answering the phone when you call us. That person will answer questions you might have about our shipping policies and so on, but he or she is actually a bookseller and is really there to find out what you’re looking for and provide you some direction and help in finding it. If that person can’t answer your questions, he or she will find someone else in the store who can and we’ll call you back with the information. We’re also happy to take orders over the phone for those of you who prefer not to use the computerized shopping cart system.
We also make book recommendations, in the form of a limited number of reviewed books. These reviews are all written by staff members or valued customers who have read the book and want to tell you about it. Our book reviews are not for sale. We do not accept incentives from publishers or others to review the books. We review them because we liked them and think you might too.
We are also setting up blogs. We’ve all had the experience of reading a book and then feeling a sense of disappointment that we don’t have anyone to discuss it with. The blogs are there to solve that problem. The blogs will be on various topics, such as history or science, and a particular book will be reviewed by a staff member. However, that review is just the starting point. What we really want to see happen is for you, the readers, to make your comments, interact with each other and have what boils down to an internet book club that you can attend whenever you want.
It is our hope that you will come to think of Galiano Island Books on the web as your virtual bookstore just as so many of our loyal customers think of our “bricks and mortar” store that way. We hope you will join us and will share your comments, both good and bad with us.
Treat your friends and family with a Galiano Island Books gift certificate. Certificates of any amount ($20 minimum) are available for purchase online and are a great way to surprise the book lovers in your life. Gift certificates can be used for any of our products including books, art supplies, and much more! Click here to buy gift certificates online.
76 Madrona Drive, Galiano Island, BC V0N 1P0 Canada
Toll-Free in North America 1.877.795.BOOK(2665)
Local 1.250.539.3340 • Fax 1.250.539.3341
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