Rare Book Monthly
Buday Books: 60+ Years Of Bookselling By One Owner
Victor Buday, or "Mr. B."
How has Buday Books managed to stay in business so long? Victor Buday cited seven factors:
1. He attributes much of their success to the dedication of Mrs. B, someone with a love of and respect for books, always checking, cross-checking, and verifying what was stated.
2. As noted before, they "kept their day jobs," while offering the public authoritative books, carefully packed, priced slightly above the median. Mr. B noted that "there is no such thing as 'easy,' and most booksellers have not died rich. Bookselling dollars were welcome additions to income."
3. They found customers did not like the typical abbreviations most sellers use in catalogues to save space, so they spelled everything out. Clear, customer-friendly descriptions build consumer confidence, they believe.
4. Mrs. B. conducted thorough research to help customers better understand the titles being offered.
5. They always try to be genuinely helpful. "Yes, price is important, but for repeat customers it's not all-important."
6. For normal size orders, "we assume 99% of people are honest." If they find someone who is not, they politely refuse any further sales.
7. "Finally, we treat customers as we wish to be treated. That's how our bookselling has survived change. It's been a steady effort - absolutely fundamental, and simple."
After all of the years of change, you can find Buday Books today where you might expect to find a modern bookseller - on the internet. They have a website which offers books, though that is not its main focus. Before you reach the books listed for sale, or links to search their inventory, you will get a glimpse at why they have loved books for so long. They have published a group of stories on their site they call Vintage Reading. First, there is Rita's Notebook, with true tales from long ago, followed by Stories Heard Over The Back Fence, where the tales are much taller. Most of these were written by Mrs. B, though Mr. B has helped out on a few. They are the product of Rita Buday's digging through forgotten books to bring back entertaining stories long lost to the years. These stories remind us of the true value of books. They are more than just objects to buy and sell, hopefully make a profit upon, and put on a shelf. They are filled with information and entertainment, unobtainable anywhere else, from which we can learn about ourselves, our past, our world. History lives on in the pages of books, as it does in Rita's stories on the website of today's Buday Books. For a look, go to www.budaybooks.com.
