Go Furness

Bookshop at the Tinner’s Rabbit

Liz Drew moved from London in 1995. She quickly settled into her new life in Ulverston, and appreciated all that it had to offer her and her family. Up until this point, she had used her skills in a variety of ways like designing and training, combining her love of people with her love of art. However, she had never really developed her career, or fulfilled her full potential. She had always been fascinated by other businesses and why some worked and some didn’t.

She decided study at Lancaster University, and in 1999 earned a 1st Class Honours degree in Theatre and Art. On completion, she began looking for work, and to start with she helped out in the Tinner’s Rabbit Art Gallery. During the 1990’s, The Local Bookshop had closed down, and she began dreaming about setting up new bookshop that sold art books.

Chris in the Tinner’s Rabbit agreed to rent her some space in the shop, and she enrolled on the Furness Enterprise start-up course. When she completed the business plan, she knew she would have to sell more than just art books. She says that she was ‘lucky’ that Chris offered her this opportunity because they work so well together, sharing similar attitudes to business and customer care. She also feels lucky that she has been so well supported by the generous people of the town, and that she has developed a business that she is so passionate about.

She started in a small conservative way, but one year later she was so successful that she was confident enough to buy the premises, and later open a second shop, The Good Living Bookshop.

Liz has a natural drive and desire to keep moving, growing and evolving and constantly asks herself how she can ‘keep doing it better’. She also has a resilient relationship with risk and change. She is willing to try new things, assess and reassess them, and then make necessary alterations. She enjoys the challenges that each new day brings, and refuses to sit back even when everything is going really well. She is only too aware of the competition that has closed down so many bookshops, not just Amazon, but the big supermarkets that can afford to buy in bulk.

But she has created a very special shop, with excellent staff who are very welcoming and who all give a lot to the community. She has created opportunities for each of them to develop their own skills and follow their own passions within their work at the shop. Melanie has developed the fabulous children’s corner, a big favourite with young readers. She does a lot of work with the schools, and has now set up a story-telling group. Jake has taken on the IT work, and developed the website. Belinda was superb in the Good Living Bookshop, with her passion for Mind, Body and Spirit books. They were all sad to lose her when she left town, and this was a major factor in closing this branch of the shop. Liz firmly believes that the passion factor is essential to success.

Liz also saw an opportunity to create some time for herself with her new husband, or so she thought! In the true entrepreneurial spirit, more time means more time to create! She has now set up her own publishing company called Handstand and to date has published 3 books!

Her secrets and advice?

• Just keep doing it, even when it is tough
• When something is not working, face it, catch it and change it in the early stages
• Do what you are passionate about
• A genuine spirit of generosity pays dividends and keeps customers and staff loyal
• Listen to advice, but trust and act on your own inner knowing when it comes to decision-making
• Don’t take your eye off the ball when things are going well
• Know your own short-comings and know when to ask for help and support
• Work hard, but have fun!

Liz also mentioned that luck comes into play, but personally, I think that she has created her own ‘luck’ with her warm personality, generosity and a desire to continually give to the community that she values so much. Ulverston is very lucky to have such a fantastic bookshop in its centre. It’s not just a bookshop, it’s a Liz Drew bookshop!

Posted by Kay Hebbourn on 21st October.