Litnet

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Sometimes it feels like we conjure up books from magical places and we feel like wizards, although Book Wizard is not yet an official job title.

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She had me at “coffee?” and we were not even talking speed dating in bookstores yet!

Tracy Terblanche

When I arrived at Bargain Books Walmer Park, the manager, Tracy Terblanche, immediately offered me coffee.

“I have good coffee,” she said as she invited me into her little office. “The machine is often voted employee of the month!”

Her enthusiasm is not only reserved for me. I could see her chatting to customers – greeting them by name, asking about their reading, suggesting more books.

I too were to walk out with three books bought, but first back to the office where she was “geeking out” about books – her words.

“Coffee is good for us,” she said, “but the aroma also does something for the clients. By the way, do you know why people are attracted to books? It is subconscious. In wood there all kinds of oil. Even after the wood has been turned to paper, we find the fibres releasing minute amounts of oil. The smell is related to that of vanilla. We love that smell, even when we do not consciously notice it.”

Tracy is passionate about her books.

Retail has been life, and now she combines that which she is good at with that which she loves.

Tracy also reads people like she reads books. It is important to listen to a client, but the sale often does not come from what they say to her – she rather picks up on the hints that are left unsaid.

“If the CEO of a business walks in here, I am not going to offer her something on power relations. She is there already. I’ll offer her Mills & Boon to escape her realities. That will work. She’ll be back, and she’ll buy more than just Mills & Boon!”

Tracy loves matching books with clients. “The wizard of Oz is a book I sell lots of. Not to kids, but to PR-people. Why? In PR you need to understand who the Dorothy is in your team, who’s the cowardly lion? Do that, learn to read people, that is how you manage a team!”

I joke that she sounds like a dating site. “Well there is an idea!” she says. “Speed dating in a bookshop! I like that. Besides, it is better than picking up a girl in a bar. Buy her a book. Much better than a beer!”

Her enthusiasm turns to her latest “reading craze” – Amor Towles. And obviously I’d need to buy at least one of his novels to understand why!

Tracy admits to “fan girling” a little when Jan Vermeulen walked into her store.

She discovered Vermeulen during the height of the lockdown due to the pandemic. She suddenly found herself feeling miserable, being cut off from her store, her books and her clients. She even found it hard to read at first. So, she picked up Jan Vermeulen’s Die vyfde Aspoester and suddenly, working that little harder while reading Afrikaans, she got her groove back.

Since then, she has read all of Vermeulen’s books.

After our coffee, she helps me find Chase Rhyse’s new book, grabs a copy of Amor Towel’s A gentleman in Moscow and starts helping other clients. She knows them by name, suggests books, asks questions, waves at passers-by who just want to say they are enjoying their latest read, and helps more clients to more books.

When I add Herman Lategan’s Hoerkind to the pile, she immediately asks whether I also would like a copy of Opstokers, fopdossers en tweegatjakkalse.

I guess I’ll have to become a returning customer as well!

Q&A with Tracy

What is the funniest request you have had from a customer?

 A customer once asked me to order the Gütenberg Bible.

What should the client do if they cannot find a specific book in your store?

Chat to one of our helpful booksellers. We can order titles in and source books from many sources. (Sometimes it feels like we conjure up books from magical places and we feel like wizards, although Book Wizard is not yet an official job title.)

Where to find you?

Bargain Books Walmer Park

Shop 18 Walmer Park Shopping Centre, 14th and 16th Avenue, Main Road, Walmer, Gqeberga (Port Elizabeth)

041 3675329

What are your opening hours?

09:00 – 18:00, Monday to Friday

09:00 – 17:00, Saturday

09:00 – 14:00, Sunday

Please introduce the rest of the team?

Lusanda Sobalisa

Sasha Acker

Campbell Loubser

Abigail Hartzenberg

What is hot in the shop? (Genres or other.)

Young Adult! I love that the young adults have embraced reading so much, and with so many exciting authors bringing some big-hitting titles and topics to the shelves in they have ignited a new passion for reading.

Classics! And I use the exclamation point with glee. It is wonderful to see so many people return the glorious and rich writings of Jane Austen, Victor Hugo and the like.

Contemporary Fiction: This always does well, as it gives the reader an opportunity to escape to different lands, lifestyles and adventures. We are all needing escape – what better way than to slip inside a book.

Is there anything else you or the team would want to add?

We love books, and we love talking about books. Come in and have a chat to any one of our friendly booksellers and you’re bound to walk away with new suggestions, a must-read or an old favourite.