This is what we Look Like!

This is our dedicated Religious, Christian Books & Church Supplies Section!

Christmas is here! Gifts, jewellery, Cards, Bibles and Kids Bible Books!

Nativity Sets now in stock! Bibles, Theology, Spirituality, Ministry, General Christian Life Etc

Church Supplies! Candles, Wafers, Church Stationary, Incense, Christian Music, Cards, Gifts etc.

Here are a few pictures of us for those who follow along on the blog but can't get in for whatever reason - as you will see we are a real bookshop for all we are open sided and open minded enough to be in a market hall.
Also you will note the picture of the Christian bit prove we have now moved into the pre-christmas season with lots of nativities and such now in stock - I challenge anyone out there who has recently been at meetings and have never been to see us to say we are not a real bookshop! Assuming makes... well we all know the adage! Come by and visit us and don't make assumptions based on the word Market - Marks & Spencers Started in a market! Starbucks started in a market and so did lots more! The market is fully enclosed and filled with specialist stalls as well as the mundane! A Science-fiction and Movie Memorabilia collectible specialist is the market! The Stamp Man for rare & collectible Stamps, Coins, Postcards and other such rare, treasured & exclusive finds is in the market! Artist Supplies & bespoke framing is in the market - Wendy the artist on artist supplies is a professional artist who is regularly commissioned for cover art and private work! She paints in the market and does art tuition in the market! Then of course there is us - not just a bookstall but a niche market book specialist - we import US fiction on a weekly basis covering Crime, Thrillers, Romance, Science-Fiction, LGBT and other markets - we are one of the few in the greater county and further afield that does so! We deal in specialist markets such as transport and military history - DVD's, Books & more! and of course there is my personal joy - our religious, christian & Church Supplies unit! Committed to serving Lincoln & Lincolnshire churches and faith communities, because no city should be without a Christian bookshop and resource centre.
Of course lets not forget Al's Arts & Crafty Bits also in the market and part of us - one of lincolnshires best papercraft suppliers for the last 5 years now!
Market is just a word, no one scoffs at going to the Supermarket but yet going to a Market Hall denotes something less worthy, something to be scorned and lessened - well put aside your preconceived notions and come visit Lincoln Central Market - you will be surprised at just how many upmarket (see there's that word again!) types pass through it and how many select customers it reaches out too - we have in the years I have now been here happily and repeatedly served on a weekly and monthly basis Judges, Bishops, MP's, Councillors, Doctors, Actors and just everything else on down. There's no shame in being in a market or visiting a market - the only shame is that some think there is and that's no shame on us, its just ashame that some can't work past a bias.
Ok rant over pictures following - enjoy and see you in the bookshop in the market tomorrow!

The Main Bookshop Pictures!

Science-Fiction, Horror, Military & Historical Fiction!

Large Print Books & Secondhand Crime & Thrillers Section

Our newest Niche Market -The LGBT Section - Small but growing!

The kids love to play in Pegasus Books! - Our Childrens section - almost impossible to keep tidy!

Autobiography, True Crime, and the beginning of Ladies & Saga Secondhand

Puzzles! Classic Literature, Secondhand Science-fiction & Horror

Always look up and not at your feet! Jigsaws, Paint-by-Numbers and lots more are up high!

Al's Arts & Crafty Bits, opposite the religious bit! Decoupage, Stamps etc - a papercraft heaven!

Hello & Welcome in!

Outside for Ladies & General Fiction, Westerns & Romance, The Entrance for Paranormal & Historical Fiction, inside for Pegasus Kids Books, Crime, Thrillers, Science Fiction, LGBT, DVD's, Audio Books, CD's, Jigsaws, Games and Arts, Secondhand Books Sections and lots more - oh and inside and passing through and across the aisle for Al's Arts & Crafty Bits and the Religious & Christian Books and Church Supplies!
Wow - not so little and yes very very real.

Happy Birthday or anniversary of something like that!

Today makes it exactly 2 years that I have in fact been the unicorntreebookshopboss!

Yes indeed on this day 2 years ago I did in fact sign over all the worldly goods I did not possess and indeed the hope of having them! in exchange for the messy little bookstall that was at the time browse awhile books! and now two years on it's not so messy, not so little and indeed not so bad!

I am still impoverished and tortured by minions, but at least its my poverty and my minions and in exchange I have the ability to read whatever book I want 'cause I have thousands of them!

I have a range of speciality genres and markets that match my likes!

The newest of these of course being the Christian Books (completely with its own unit! see not so little!) and I am so glad to have these on board, to be able to spend some of each day discussing a subject I absolutely love is phenomenal and a real dream continuing on.
Today's discussion was on the Shack and the imagery presented as to God and if it is indeed heretical and if so why?
This addition hasn't come without pain and heartbreak, but what it has come with is a continuing commitment and fervour to serve and reach out, after all pretty much all my book career had been in this section of the book trade and leaving it was painful (though also thrilling and enjoyable on another level as I was moving into the sphere of all books and not just one section!) but I remained resolute and with God's grace and a smidgen of faith in face of adversity it came to be that I got it back this year, lets hope that together we can all continue to grow it - oh and did I say that Advent Candles and Advent & Nativity Books and Christmas Play material came in this week?? No? well it did - so if you are a church then get in touch as we are now taking Advent & Christmas orders!

Then of course we have the Craft section - formerly an independent business in its own right this came into our safekeeping a year ago and now lends itself wonderfully to our creative talent discussions and displays - believe it or not I am in fact a whizz at tea-bag folding, usually after they have been dried out from the copious cups of tea needed to cope with minion antics! This is still called Al's Arts & Crafty Bits, but of course its now housed in Unicorn Tree Books!

Next is the LGBT section which is continuing to build a following and reputation and expanding as time goes on. The yaoi manga has been going phenomenally well.

All in all I am pretty proud of the changes that the shop has undergone and hope that in the years to come these will continue to grow and develop as we go forward together in faith, hope and community commitment!

So as its a new year we have old news to report on and new resolutions to put forward!
So old news - our sponsored charity, Great Ormond Street Hospital Childrens Charity was given £373.00 in the end, given our target was originally for £200 I think we did pretty well together!

Thank you all who gave their change, those 1p's soon add up, as of course does the tithe we make from our sales - actually truth to be told that's apportioned from the bookshopsboss wage as we still aren't quite there enough to say its from the profits - its a commitment I made and so its one I keep!. We really do believe it is right to give to others when we can, as in giving we receive, even when we don't know it or see it. After all sharing is caring!

So anyway this year we are continuing with the Children's Hospital theme but this time its Alder Hay hospital that will be the recipient of our donations and tithes:


(though of course come October there will of course be our Christmas Charity to give to as well - last years Christmas Charity was Habitat for Humanity and we gave £50.00, lets hope we can give more this year when we decide on the Charity!).

So anyway I want to say thank you all for using us, supporting us and following along with us - if you want to come in and celebrate with us, then please do and remember my favourite celebration tipple is a Caramelatte from Nero's or a Caramel Macchiato from Starbucks!

Thanks guys for the last two years, and I look forward to serving and working with all of you in the next few ahead!

It'sssss Christmassss! Boo Hiss, bah humbug, its not even the end of summer!

OK, now I know this is just too extreme, but never the mind it is nonetheless a true fact, Christmas has indeed arrived and not just in the make your own cards craft department! (which yes, Al's Arts has indeed had in a bumper load of Christmas decoupage and sold over half of it already so you better get your skates on and jingle bell down if you are making your own cards!)

Yes indeed to go with the 2009 Diaries and Calenders, Parsons Pocket Books and Church Lectionaries, we did indeed have into stock today the Church Advent Candles (both Purple and Red Sets!) - actually this timed very well with the arrival of the new and very smart Advent and Christmas Order Forms from the printers (though these were down to be sent out next month - not this one!!).

Ahh but was it only Church Advent Candles that would be one thing - but no it was the Dated ones as well - lots of them! and then to add insult to injury a box arrived and in it were... yep you guessed it - Advent Calenders!!!

So there we go, not even the middle of August and already Christmas Silly season begins! ohh but get this, in the same box as the Calenders was...
NATIVITY SETS & CHRISTMAS CARDS!±

So there we go, lets get out the mistletoe and wine and have an Australian Christmas - well come on Christmas in Summer we must be in the southern hemisphere and never noticed.

So ok, on a non-christmas theme, the Gluten Free Wafers finally came in today, as did some wonderful new incense named after st Luke. Very nice and tastily pungent when the temperature heats up a bit - however no need to fear on this front now as the Air Conditioning Unit really is working a treat - so much so all the other should be working somewhere on the market staff keep coming in on the pretext of looking for books and then hogging the cool delightful stream of swift blowing air! the cheek of it.

Also the Long awaited 'Acheron' (9780749908669) by Sherrilyn Kenyon is now in and is going like hot cakes! probably because we were the only ones to have had stocks in up until at least 2pm today! now whether Waterstones and WHSmiths have no had theirs in I cannot say, but I can say if you want one you better hurry as we only have a couple left on the shelves now! and by gum is it a mighty brick of a book or what, but three of those that purchased them on Wednesday have been back in today to extol the virtues of the book and story and get new books because they had finished the 700+ pages it is that good a read!
We also have in the New Stephanie Meyer Book 'Breaking Dawn' (9781905654284) - another mighty book and worth the read!
Here's an odd conundrum for you all, Josephine Cox - top British author - has had her new book 'Songbird' (9780060896980) come out in paperback in the states before it has here! and not just a few days before but almost 2 months before!
So it's just as well we are a specialist in US Imports, otherwise you would all have to wait until the 1st October before you could read it in paperback!
The first one on the shelf this afternoon sold within 7 minutes! So look likely ladies as once this batch are gone it will be another 7 days before the next batch gets in from the States!

So there we go, bah humbug but some cool (but not yule! though actually there are some advent books and nativity play books in now!) reading knocking around the shop.
Come by and visit and remember to bring the bookshopboss a coffee (caramelatte or caramel machiatto preferably) if you are feeling kind as due to minions wanting time and other such supposedly pressing urgent things this BookshopBoss has yet again not had a day off and deliveries by the shock loads!
By the way does anyone else spot the problem with shortening the BookshopBoss's title?? The minions say its too long and they believe it should be abbreviated to the BSBoss!!! I am pretty sure they are being less than polite again - so census time people, let me know what you think - should I be thoroughly offended or are the minions just that oblivious? what action would you take on that one!

OK enough now, books to be ordering! see you in the shop tomorrow.

Uggh Ingrams!

You know at the minute this bookshopboss is not amused!
It would seem that the americans are conspiring against me this week - first the issue relating to the post before and now INGRAMS (this is said in the same tone and intonation as a very bad swear word at the minute!).
I have now been waiting for nearly a week for a delivery to leave the US warehouse and make it to these shores so I can share the lovely books inside with you my lovely and desperate customers - well don't hold your breaths as US systems transpire again to thwart the UK bound.
They can't send it as the card details they have to transact the payment expires this month - and because in the US that would mean the card had actually expired, their cards expire on the first day of the listed month it would seem, and would be unusable their system automatically keeps declining my card - even though in the UK our expiry date means the last day of the month its dated! So they won't be able to send the books until the 1st of August when the new card becomes active!! all because of an automated system that does the payment transaction and the fact that it would seem they cannot overide the system and do a manual transaction!
UGGGGGGH!!!

So ok moving on - it has been unbearably hot in the shop for the last few days - well thats what happens when you work in a glass roofed building - its like being an orchid in a hot house - and yes as you all know I really am that dainty, delicate and blooming wonderful!
Still we have the fan going, the doors open and the books in to help you all keep your cool and enjoy the time basking in the garden, on the beach or wherever with your books!

This week we have had deliveries of more books - a great set of christian books, including some great kids ones and a snuggly sunday bunny! great fun and at good proces (*edit: that was my 'allo allo' british fake french accent in honour of my friend Aude, the continental market that was in town and the fact that I can't actually type!!)too. We also have an offer going on some NT to give away this summer - they are only £1.50 instead of £3.99, and we are offering £1.00 off Richard S. Taylors 'What every Christian ought to know' (9781853453168) as well! For a review of this book go here its a site I am very involved with and even review for on occasion and I heartily endorse it for impartial christian reviews!(but whatever you do remember to come back to me to buy it!!!) : http://www.thegoodbookstall.org.uk/review/1853453161/richard-s-taylor/what-every-christian-ought-to-know/

Oh we had gifts in too! Very Very cool wooden toys - a Noahs Ark! A Nativity Set in a String Bag and some square blocks - 26 of them with words and pictures of them - the people in the pictures look a bit like BOD! I love it. There are also some BOD like magnet sets as well - a nativity set and a Life of Jesus set as well. Honestly they are great - I am thinking of going over to the kids corner and playing with them as stress relief from the week.

In the craft section we have had in some new stuff too, Christmas Card making materials and a whole load of pens, glitters, glues and other fun stuff to make a mess with over the summer while you pretend to be getting ready for Christmas!

Ohh talking of Christmas Cards - I did the Christmas Card order this week, lots and lots of Christmas cards will be in at the end of August - charity ones and normal ones! and the Christmas nativity and gift order is going in this week too! they too will no doubt arrive much to soon - there are some lovely Christmas ornaments going to be coming in.
and talking of charity -

So anyway come by and see - bookshopboss vent and share over now! going to have a coffee now. See you soon.

Bookcase Shuffle Completed and light has come to the dim!

Those of you that visited before the manic Christmas Market weekend, and indeed even in the week before will have noticed that the bookcase shifting boogie had been an ongoing process of near completion!

That is to say Secondhand was shuffled and has come out straight and bay like with no nasty walls and hidden hiding places, instead the bookshop is now light and airy and tidy and easily viewable from all places, and it looks good!

Alright so for a few days it looked like a bombsite, but now it is beautiful and it is alphabetical again! We also have wonderful flat tables for display purposes and its just nice, nice, nice - you will all have to come in and visit.

It got done last week when I had to forfeit my day off - even though I was very sick with nasty minion germs - and come in, well it was quiet ( until I started moving things of course that is!), I was feeling ill so I thought I would re-arrange all the furniture again to make the minion germs sweat it out and leave (works on real minions, give them lots of hard work to do and they often seem to make like invisible, all the while saying it is not so but they have other tasks I have tasked them with! so it might have worked with minion germs!) but they germs did not leave, but the job did get done! then on the following day once all the hard labour was done minion one returned to work just in time to alphabetacise (thats a bit like aerobacizing but slower!). And so it was done in time for Christmas Market.

Christmas Market time was as ever fun and filled with strange people wearing santa and elf hats ( bah humbug we repeat!) however we did also on the sunday have a visit from Darth Vader - lightsabre included! that caused a little stir for a while and was good fun too - shame the minions were absent that day as I am sure they could have swapped some awesome tales of the darkside with the darklord!

So anyway come visit the new look shop - it looks good, and other customers have said so too, the number of customers who have said they didn't realise we were so big is quite good (though quite concerning too in a strange way) and the number who now just wander in to secondhand without saying 'is it ok to come in' is also very good! - many favourable comments, though it seems some people can't help but to also say 'oh no where are the books now'!! like we have hidden them! when in point of fact they are now much easier to see - when what they really mean is where is the one author I am reading/collecting at the minute, however as today minion one put up posters with arrows and diagrams, and as I can now stand at the till or computer and go , THERE just to the LEFT, turn slightly RIGHT bend down 27degrees perpendicular to the FLOOR and YES, THERE is that Kathy Reichs you wanted! all whilst still serving the queueing customers ( I multi-task you know), means it all seems to be working out to the good.

Anyway if you are after calenders or diaries you better get in fast as they are ripping out at a wicked rate and all we have left is what is out on the shelves now!

Same goes with Nativity Sets, Boxed Book Sets, DVD's on warplanes and steam trains, and believe it or not Communion Wafers! all that prepping up for that Christmas Eve/Day lark.

I mean come on top christmas topics and gift stories - no Nintendo DS in stock, You can't get a Wii and the GPS Sat Navs keep getting people lost - one would almost think there was a religious meaning to this season, no room in an in, surrounded by donkeys and asses in a stable with no indoor plumbing to speak off and the supposedly wise men being guided by a star in the end after ending up in the wrong kings palace! Cool Yule thats what I say.

So anyway drop by and see the new look shop, and feel free to bring me some festive cheer - I quite like Hot Chocolate laced with baileys or brandy for my cheer and as a cure to a red nose!

See you in the shop tomorrow!

Christmas Time, Nativity no wine!

Christmas Time is here! how do i know? The Nativity Sets order arrived and there are some fantastic sets and angels and decorations and stuff and if I do say so myself the display is not too bad either! 

I had great fun trying to get it all to fit, especially as yesterday 8 big boxes of Paint By numbers, art supplies and more arrived and needed homing as well.
There are some great canvas designs in - Thomas Kinkaide glow like ones that you too can do!

But back to the angels and nativity sets, there are some really cute ones in and at pocket money prices, but there are also some wonderful faux wood ones that are simply luscious and would look great on the mantlepiece, but won't sting the pocket too much!

So anyway there we go, Christmas is now officially here!

So ok nativity sets in, angels in, christian books in, communion wafers in - but no we can't sell communion wine except for the noon-alcoholic version - the market building has a no selling alcohol policy!  So thats it all set and ready for the season of advent and christmas. Just the cards to write and presents to get for minions and friends!

OOOH do you know what? (perhaps you do) Dave Walker of the CartoonChurch Blog (he rocks, it rocks, I dream of being that amusing and on the ball) linked my blog! thank you sir, I bow to you.

Anyway so in case you missed it - the shop is sort of tidy, the minions are ruling for the next 2 days as I am elsewhere being bookish and busy, and the shelves are stuffed with stock and there is the coolest collection of colourful objet d'arts in stock (ok paint by numbers etc etc and nativity sets and angels) for you to come in and adore and then take home with you after releasing that christmas money you have saved all through the year!

See you in the shop on saturday, have fun with the minions until then.

Ohh and by the way visit our new christmas charity appeal - we are donating to Habitat for Humanity for Christmas,

and our official sponsored charity for the year is Great Ormond Street Hospital Childrens Charity - thats where all the pennies people kindly leave behind are going to, and its also where a percentage of the shops profits go! feel free to donate online as well.