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New chapter for Nairn Bookshop owner as she puts business up for sale

Mavis Macdonald plans to make the most of her free time with dancing, gardening and travelling through Europe.

Mavis Macdonald when the shop relocated in 2015 to its current premises. Image: DC Thomson.
Mavis Macdonald when the shop relocated in 2015 to its current premises. Image: DC Thomson.

The owner of a independent bookshop is selling her business as it’s time to “pass on the baton” to someone else with a passion for books.

Nairn Bookshop has been trading for nearly 14 years under the stewardship of Mavis Macdonald.

She bought the shop in 2009 on the “spur of the moment” while she owned her own accountancy practice in Elgin.

She said: “The previous owners were clients of mine and the shop was up for sale and I didn’t think too much about it because the previous owners owned the property and so I was like no I don’t want that.

“I got a phone call from the owner saying they had managed to sell the property but the business was still there. It was a spur of the moment, I put down the phone, thought for two minutes, picked the phone up and said I’m really interested.”

The bookshop contains more than 3,500 books. Image: Sandy McCook/DC Thomson.

Being an accountant, Mrs Macdonald knew how to balance the books but was plunged into navigating the world of customer service as an independent retailer.

She described her first few months as a “steep learning curve” and says anyone looking to take on the bookshop should be “passionate, patient and pleasant”.

The shop has three part-time staff and more than 3,500 books in stock.

‘It’s a 24-hour job and you are never away from it’

Mrs Macdonald was not an avid book reader at first but has since grown into one and says any new owner needs to be a book lover.

In 2015, the shop became a prominent feature on the bustling High Street, located on the corner next to Gordon Street.

There have been challenges along the way for Nairn Bookshop with Mrs Macdonald explaining the pandemic was “different” rather than difficult.

The shop’s website had already gone live and allowed them to operate a click-and-collect service from the front door.

The shop is located within Nairn town centre. Image: Sandy McCook/DC Thomson.

Mrs Macdonald would often be the only one in the shop altering the window displays each week to change them up for people walking by.

After 14 years at the helm, she feels it’s “time for me to pass on the baton”.

She said: “Ask anyone who runs their own business, it’s a 24-hour job and you are never away from it, even though you aren’t in the shop, it’s still in your head.

“It can be heavy work at times, moving boxes of books, and you start to think ‘how long can I actually do this for?’

New chapter for bookshop owner

“You start to think about it and then you think more and more and your like I’ve had enough, I want more freedom and to clear my brain so I am not thinking about this all the time. It’s a 100% commitment.”

She now has the freedom to follow her passions including Scottish country dancing, which she will be able to attend in the evenings once her schedule opens up.

Gardening and attending summer socials are also priorities for Mrs Macdonald once she retires.

Aileen Grant one of three part time staff working at the bookshop. Image: Sandy McCook/DC Thomson.

She also dreams of leaving Elgin behind and travelling via euro-rail to Italy to enjoy the sunshine and food.

“More time means getting out and about and catching up with people you haven’t seen for ages, and every year in the Christmas card you say this will be the year we’ll meet up and it never happens. Well, it’ll be nice to make it happen.”

Leaving behind the bookshop will be bittersweet for Mrs Macdonald who says because she always enjoyed it, it will be hard to give it up.

The shop has been placed on the market with a price tag of £17,000 for the shop, fixtures and fittings and £30,000 for the stock.

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