Think bookshops are on the decline? Gayle Ritchie visits The Watermill in Aberfeldy which has been named one of the world’s great bookstores
When asked if I wanted an e-Reader for my birthday, I cried out in horror.
Call me old-fashioned, but I’d rather have a good old print book.
It’s something about the look, feel and smell of a dog-eared (or brand new) tome that I find deeply comforting.
The simple act of flicking the soft pages makes the act of reading a physical pleasure. Reading an e-book, on the other hand, feels somewhat clinical (in my opinion).
Print books are also fantastic memory-triggers. That musty copy of Ulysses takes me right back to my third year at university…
My great love of “real” books takes me to The Watermill in Aberfeldy on winter’s afternoon, a fantastic place to while away the hours.
Housed in a converted oatmeal mill and boasting a coffee shop, art gallery and award-winning bookshop, it’s no surprise that it’s been named one of the “World’s Greatest Bookstores” by the prestigious New Yorker magazine.
Open for little more than a decade, The Watermill is the only shop in Scotland to have made it onto the list, which includes the top 75 stores worldwide.
The shop is owned by Kevin and Jayne Ramage, who moved up from London, bought the derelict mill building and converted it into the bookshop in 2005.
The accolade came about after Monty Python star Michael Palin heaped praise on the shop, saying it was one of the best reasons for literature lovers to visit Scotland.
“I was a bookseller in London and Michael used to pop in to the shop and have a chat,” explains Kevin.
“When we moved up here, Michael officially opened The Watermill, and became a huge fan.”
The first Kevin and Jayne knew of their accolade was when a print of a painting of The Watermill arrived in the post from the USA.
“It came out of the blue,” says Kevin. “The watercolour was signed by cartoonist Bob Eckstein and inside was a book featuring the 75 top bookstores, including The Watermill!”
Spread over three floors, the enchanting shop boasts all kinds of books, a children’s section, plus music and artwork.
Kevin is keen for customers to enjoy their time here, encouraging them to sit down and browse books at leisure over coffee and cake.
In a society where eReaders are regarded by some as better than books, it’s refreshing to see a shop like this doing so well.
Kevin isn’t too surprised. “There’s a place for eBooks and eReaders but I suspect millions of them are lying around, unloved and forgotten,” he says.
“Every year the media predicts the death of bricks and mortar bookshops, but the truth is, eBook sales are declining and print sales are going up; we had our strongest sales ever in October.
“People spend all day working with technology and they’re finding it more enjoyable to read a printed page than to consume words on a computer screen.
“There’s something nice about turning a page, picking up a book and putting it down again – it brings great joy – and there’s evidence we absorb more from a book than an eReader. People love the tactility of books.”
So what of the image of the dusty old bookshop where an old man wearing a monocle slowly emerges from behind a stack of 17th century novels after you’ve pinged a bell?
Kevin laughs: “These places do exist but we understand that to survive in the modern world, we need to be tuned in to what people expect and offer an exceptional service that reflects our personality.
“Book selling is a fast moving, modern retail business. We like to give customers the personal touch and take great pleasure in recommending books for them.”
“When we were renovating, we wanted to keep a sense of the building’s history and little touches like having the old mill encased in glass and leaving the wooden beams lends it charm.”
Customers flock to The Watermill from across the UK and beyond and it’s no surprise.
You can sit by the roaring log fire with coffee and cake and a selection of books, explore the art gallery or simply wander round browsing books. And not an eReader in sight.
info
The New Yorker’s World’s Greatest Bookstores project came about after artist Bob Eckstein started a modest tribute to his favourite bookstores in New York and grew into a global project. The feature was extended to a book of prints and quotes celebrities and authors who had special memories relating to each of the shops.
The Watermill, which also has a small art gallery and attached homeware section, was named the UK Independent Bookshop of the Year in 2009.
