Caught a shopkeeper doctoring a window display in Portland

I was walking past Mother Foucault's on SE Morrison last Tuesday and saw the owner sneak a copy of 'The Secret History' face-out right next to a signed first edition. He told me, 'People buy what they recognize, not what they need.' That stuck with me because it felt honest, even if a bit cynical. He then pointed to a hidden shelf of translated crime novels and said those were his real pride, but they never pulled anyone in from the sidewalk. It made me wonder how much of a bookstore's window is art versus pure marketing, and whether that trick actually moves units or just makes regulars like me annoyed. Has anyone else caught a bookseller openly staging a display like that?

1 comments

Log in to join the discussion

Log In

1 Comment

amymiller24d ago

That signed first edition sitting next to The Secret History is probably the whole point, because the rare book lends the store clout while the popular one pays the rent. A window like that isn't really selling books, it's selling the feeling that you walked into a place with taste. The translated crime novels on the hidden shelf might be his real love, but love doesn't cover the lease on SE Morrison.

7