Shekinah Boekwinkel

Running a bookstore in Pretoria means curating stock across languages, formats, and customer expectations that shift throughout the year. Managers track school calendar demands for educational texts, balance fiction against non-fiction based on what's moving, and navigate import costs that affect pricing on international titles. Staff handle customer special orders—researching availability, waiting for shipments, managing customer communication when books arrive weeks later than hoped. The physical work includes shelving, inventory management, maintaining sections so browsers can actually find what they came for, and often hand-selling books by talking readers through what makes each title worth their time and money.