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Bookshop Holiday/Residency Offer is a Dream Opportunity for Bookworms

By February 25, 2017September 6th, 2017Bookshops, News

Have you ever dreamed of running your own bookshop? Well, now you can combine a holiday in Scotland’s Lowlands with running a bookshop and have the ultimate holiday experience!

The Open Book in Wigtown, Scotland is a fantastic bookshop in a beautiful and idyllic location. The rural location makes for a tranquil pace of life, but the bookshop hides a little secret. Upstairs is a studio flat, and this flat is rented out for just £28 a night!

You might be wondering what the catch is and of course there is one, but this catch may be more a positive than a negative as those who rent the studio are expected to run the Open Book Bookshop below during their stay! This might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s a bibliophile’s dream and if you ever fancied recommending books to tourists, giving advice and having the general experience of running your own bookshop then this might be right up your street!

It’s the perfect location, Wigtown is Scotland’s National Book Town and the Open Book is offering the first ever experience of this kind. You won’t just be stranded and left to it, you can use the flat upstairs during your stay and you’ll be supported by a team of volunteers and bookshop sellers to make sure your experience goes as smoothly as possible, according to the Open Book Air BnB listing offering this experience.

The idea came about after discussions with the Wigtown Festival Company, allowing people to immerse themselves in the entire bookshop experience, escaping the city and the fast paced life and celebrating literature and education too.

Wigtown is all about the books, it’s the Scottish equivalent of Hay on Wye and anyone taking up this experience will be in for a real treat!



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5 Comments

  • Sylvia Gaunt says:

    I would love to run a bookshop for a week, with advise of course. I am an avid reader with a room of my own books.

  • Julie Adams says:

    Considering I am tempted to camp out in most bookstores, especially small quirky ones, this sounds like a dream come true. I am an admitted bibliophile with 3-4 books going at all times as well as an audiobook going in the car. Not sure when I would sleep. In all seriousness, one week would probably be a tease. An unforgettable experience in an unforgettable place. I have always wanted to visit Scotland and have read copious historical fiction books set in Scotland. Not just the Outlander series, but Dorothy Dunnett series, too. I would feel truly blessed to have this opportunity.

  • Joyce Moore says:

    This would be a dream come true for me . It is a wonderful chance to spend time at something that I love to do.

  • Rhonda Campbell says:

    Would love to do this next year. How do I apply?

  • Libby Nunn says:

    Fantastic idea! I’d love to go on the waiting list. I started working in Libraries in UK when I was 17 and apart from a few breaks maintained a library career until I was 71! Experienced in public, school and special libraries, setting up resource centres, library manager, community libraries and assisting with setting up second hand bookstores. I have lived in New Zealand since I was 18 and now am 74, but have bags of energy, very busy and deliver books to housebound as well.

    Love to hear back from you…Libby Nunn

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