
Scottish bookstore lets people run the shop while renting an apartment upstairs - signor_bosco
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/28/books/open-book-wigtown-bookstore.html
======
dougmwne
This is a sort of MVP test of the rose-tinted small business dreams we all
hold in our hearts. Obviously I'm not the only one who's walked into a musty
bookstore and said, "this is nice, maybe it could be me," or wandered into a
quaint pub and thought, "maybe I could own a place like this." How great to be
able try it out for a few days and instead wistfully proclaim, "I should keep
my day job."

~~~
TheOtherHobbes
I worked in retail for a year or so. Most of the time it’s very boring,
because there are always long periods with no customers.

Some of the time it’s frantic, because there are too many customers.

A lot of the time it’s depressing, because a scary percentage of the
population struggles with basic adult agency and/or comprehension.

I think everyone should do it for a while.

------
Benjamin_Dobell
This is a non-profit, so hopefully it's ran well and everyone is happy.
However, as an Australian with friends who've traveled to Scotland, apparently
it's quite common for businesses to provide accommodation in exchange for
work, and at times this can be really exploitative.

A friend of mine stayed and worked at a remote bed and breakfast in Scotland
for a couple of weeks. However, despite the manager claiming otherwise, my
friend was often left on their own with no idea how to run the place. My
friend was given no training and the manager would tell them he'll be in for
the weekend, then simply not turn up.

As a result my friend was stuck looking after the place and missed out on the
weekend (and many other days) when they were supposed be out enjoying their
travels. It's just worth keeping this in mind, before signing up to something
like this - there are unfortunately plenty of dishonest people out there.

~~~
hokus
It's not for everyone I guess. To me that sounded appealing and adventurous.
It's not like, if you screw up, you will be stuck in the aftermath the rest of
your life.

~~~
Benjamin_Dobell
If you've agreed to it, sure. However, when someone has intentionally
misrepresented the situation to take advantage of you. I don't know how you
can possibly end up feeling good about that. Particularly when you've made
plans in accordance with the information you've been provided.

------
moonka
I'm dying to know more about how the financial end works. Where do the profits
go, and more importantly, how do expenses work? If I'm renting for a week, can
I order a bunch of sci-fi (or anything I'm interested in) and leave the
invoices for the non-profit to handle? Or is it more that you act as the
manager, changing decor, the vibe, etc, but stocking decisions and whatnot
fall under the purview of the non-profit.

------
briandear
Pretty much identical to Shakespeare & Co in Paris. I lived above the shop for
about 3 months in exchange for working at the shop. Pretty amazing time.

~~~
ibn_ibid
Oh wow when did you do this? Is it something that's still going on?

~~~
dredmorbius
Apparently, yes.

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shakespeare_and_Company_(books...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shakespeare_and_Company_\(bookstore\))

~~~
wahern
The name Sylvia Beach sounded familiar. There's a library-themed hotel in
Newport, Oregon named after her,
[http://www.sylviabeachhotel.com/](http://www.sylviabeachhotel.com/)

I spent a night there before beginning a cross-country trip over US Route 20.
Each room has a theme, packed with books. The whole place is packed with
books. Many of the guests spend all day reading.

------
pjc50
Wigtown is a lovely little place, a locus for eccentric book people. There's
not one but two science fiction and fantasy bookshops run out of people's
houses there.

------
Animats
There are lots of people who want to run a restaurant. A place where you pay
to do it for a week or a month would cure them of that desire.

~~~
yardie
If they have any business acumen and decent command of the French language
they can do it in France. In August, when most businesses shutdown for the
summer holiday some owners will leave their bars and restaurants to trusted
friends.

I have a friend that occasionally manages a Parisian bar or 2 while the owners
are away. Since he gets to live (they usually own the apartment directly
above) and work at the bar as well as a cut of the, very meager, profits it's
a win/win.

------
FuckOffNeemo
Bernard Black, is that you?

~~~
King-Aaron
Add a dab of lavender to your milk, leave town with an orange, and pretend
you're laughing at it.

------
ilarum
What are the visa implications of this - i.e., would a tourist need a work
permit?

~~~
tananaev
Yes, providing accomodation is a form of payment, so you do need a work
permit.

~~~
falsedan
You got it backwards: booking and paying for the accomodation allows you to
run the shop while you stay. You pay for both the flat & the privilege of
working the till.

------
neom
Am I the only one who finds it odd the author chose to use "lets"? Not sure
why but it really bothers me.

~~~
osrec
I, too, am intrigued; what bothers you about "lets"?!

~~~
neom
¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ I don't know, I have no good reason it just annoys me. Alternatives
that would annoy me less: This Scottish AirBnB comes with a job at a
bookstore, or, An AirBnB in Scotland includes running a local bookstore, or,
Take a working vacation at this bookstore AirBnB.

~~~
bruthafez
I'm with u dude, it's extremely odd phrasing to say that the airbnb "LETS" you
run the bookstore when the article makes clear that running the bookstore is a
requirement of staying at the airbnb. There's no option described that
involves NOT running the bookstore so it seems like an extremely poorly
phrased title.

~~~
c22
I think it's meant to be parsed more as conveying the sense of opportunity
rather than choice. As in "this luxury car _lets_ you experience a comfortable
ride."

------
sam0x17
can we get a summary for people who can't get around the paywall?

~~~
sam0x17
People downvoting -- do you like it when people post paywalled links?

~~~
grzm
The HN policy on paywalls is described in the FAQ:

> _" Are paywalls ok?"_

> _" It's ok to post stories from sites with paywalls that have workarounds."_

> _" In comments, it's ok to ask how to read an article and to help other
> users do so. But please don't post complaints about paywalls. Those are off
> topic."_

[https://news.ycombinator.com/newsfaq.html](https://news.ycombinator.com/newsfaq.html)

~~~
sam0x17
Thanks for at least giving me a straight answer instead of simply downvoting.
I do find that policy annoying, though I'm apparently not allowed to talk
about it.

~~~
dang
Users usually post workarounds in the thread (though not so much when a simple
incognito window is all that's needed).

There's more explanation here:

[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10178989](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10178989)

[https://hn.algolia.com/?query=by:dang%20paywall&sort=byDate&...](https://hn.algolia.com/?query=by:dang%20paywall&sort=byDate&dateRange=all&type=comment&storyText=false&prefix&page=0)

