Jobs

Weekend Bookseller and Visual Merchandiser

Part-time: 16 hours a week, with potential for more shifts ad hoc

£15/hour

About the role

Join the small and friendly team at our independent bookshop in Balham, south London. 

The role is a roughly 50/50 split between bookselling and visual merchandising. You will work one day every weekend and one weekday, with the potential for further ad hoc shifts. 

You will be responsible for continuing our very high standard of visual merchandising. You will spend one weekday each week creating various enticing displays on the shopfloor and taking brilliant photographs and videos to share on social media. You will plan and execute a stunning window display every month, in consultation with the bookshop’s founder.

In the other half of the role, you will be a core part of our bookselling team, working one weekend day every week. The day is to be determined but will usually be the same day each week. 

The role is based at our bookshop, with no working from home. The successful candidate will need to be available to work one day every weekend as well as flexible daytime and evening shifts during the week.

Applications close at 11.59pm on 22nd November. 

More information 

We’re a very small team so tasks will be different from day to day. The successful candidate will be a good team player who can adapt to the changing requirements of the bookshop.

You will work with enthusiastic and book-loving customers and colleagues, meeting authors at in-store events, reading proof copies of forthcoming books and talking about your favourite reads.  

You will be on your feet for most of the day. Enthusiasm, a good sense of humour and a willingness to work hard are essential. 

Tasks will include:

  • Warmly welcoming customers and swapping book recommendations with them;

  • Unboxing deliveries of books and shelving them;

  • Preparing and serving food and drink at our bar;

  • Assisting in hosting our evening author events;

  • Creating stunning and commercially successful window displays and in-store displays;

  • Taking brilliant photographs and video content for our social media feeds, and assisting with running them.

About Backstory 

Backstory is an independent bookshop proudly based in south London. Our mission is to bring readers closer to the world’s most interesting writers. 

Through events, newsletters and conversations with our brilliant team and community of readers, we share the stories behind the stories, the backstory. 

Requirements for applicants

Required:

  • You must be over the age of 18 and have an existing right to work in the UK;

  • You must have exemplary communication skills and an extremely high standard of written English;

  • You must be an extremely keen reader with a broad taste in books;

  • You must be a highly skilled artist, confident about creating beautiful windows with pens, paints and printed vinyls. 

Useful but not essential:

  • Retail experience;

  • Barista or other hospitality experience;

  • Visual merchandising experience;

  • Proficiency with Canva and Adobe creative software;

  • Social media experience.  

How to apply 

Please email your answers to the following, as PDF attachments with your name at the top of each page to booksellerandmerchandiser@backstory.london  by 11.59pm on 22nd November:

  • In no more than 100 words, please describe a book you recently enjoyed. 

  • Please list your top-three favourite genres/kinds of book. 

  • Please attach a rough sketch for a planned window display at Backstory on the theme of Valentine’s. The finished window could use props, pens, paints or printed vinyl. The window should include a variety of books.   

  • Please attach your CV and a portfolio of your work.