A local mother and bookseller wants to write a happy ending for the pandemic by reminding families about the joys of reading and learning together.
When Claire Taylor finally decided to take the plunge and launch her dream venture mid-pandemic, it might have seemed a tall order to get a new business off the ground at the time.
But despite the difficulties, the timing fitted perfectly with her motivations for the store: making reading affordable to everyone, no matter the financial situation.
At Second Treehouse on the Left in Laurencekirk, Ms Taylor is spreading her vision that reading time can be family time–with group activities designed around stories–and you can never be too old to cosy up with a good book.
There’s a book for everyone
Ms Taylor had spent her time looking after children prior to the pandemic. And when that type of work dried up as schools closed and purse strings tightened for families, she decided that it was time to launch a lifelong goal.
“I have always wanted to open a children’s bookshop, it’s been a dream of mine. I wanted to make books affordable and accessible to all children.
“Reading and books are such a great tool that I felt that I didn’t want parents to have to feel that they couldn’t get a book because of the price.”
Most of the books at Second Treehouse on the Left are ‘pre-loved’ that Ms Taylor stocks from charity shops or though donations.
In keeping with the theme of reading being for everyone, the donation process is another way of making books a bit more affordable.
“If people donate books, we give them money off of new pre-loved books, so that they can always get new, age-appropriate books for their kids,” she said.
Stories on the go
Another lesson that Ms Taylor learned from her time in lockdown is the importance of spending time with family, especially in the outdoors. While shops were closed and road trips were out of the picture, taking a walk with family was one of the few options for passing the time away from home.
But now that life is slowly returning to normal, Ms Taylor wants to give people reasons to keep the focus on family while out and about.
Through the shop’s “Treehouse Tokens,” families can turn everyday outings into storytelling adventures.
Her daughter Erin said: “The idea behind these is to encourage good family fun time.”
Using the images on the tokens – whether a car or an animal or a place in nature – kids can piece together stories of their own.
Reading at all ages
Ms Taylor is also putting a spin on the traditional book club at Second Treehouse in a bid to remind older kids that books can be as much fun as games, television and movies.
“I have three children: 16, 13 and a six-year-old. The six-year-old loves books, but the older two have kind of tailed off a little bit.
“They’re more into their iPads and their phones and reading comes last. So I wanted to make it more enjoyable for them to read and bring the coolness back.
“So we plan on offering book clubs for the older children as well, but rather than doing a specific book, we’ll try to choose a theme.”
Whether the theme is Stranger Things, a popular video game or the most recent summer blockbuster, Ms Taylor said that steering teenagers towards a book that fits with their interests can restore the thrill of turning the next page.
And if they spend more time with the family along the way, there’s no harm in that.
“Personally, I love family time and it’s really difficult to get the older ones to engage in family time. We’re going to work very hard to offer tools and other opportunities to encourage spending time together.”
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