Now that we’re getting to know each other a little better, I think I should tell you that although I LOVE running LIV and Au Lit, it is actually my day job. At night, I moonlight as a writer. Some of you may even have read one of my novels (You Made Me Love You, and Harmony.) As soon as I finish this blog entry, I will be getting back to work on my current novel, She’s Got Baggage. What better place to write than sitting here by the fire in my hotel lobby? (Mig has taken the little numph to to the zoo. YIPEE!) The Christmas tree is lit up and I am so cozy and content.

Being a writer, one of my great passions is books. I LOVE books!! I love the smell of a new book, the touch of it, the look of them all stacked up on those tables at Indigo. On buying trips, one of my favourite things to choose for LIV is…you got it: BOOKS. We’ve always sold home decor books at Au Lit, but with LIV, I’ve had an opportunity to really expand our book selection. I do try to keep the selection well edited – home decor, humour, fashion, spiritual, cooking – but I hope to keep growing this department and expanding our titles. I love the idea of our customers lingering at LIV with books and a hot cocoa in our soon-to-be operational coffee & hot cocoa bar. And since I’m already divulging my vision for LIV, what I’d really like to achieve is creating the very best shopping experience you’ve ever had. I know it’s a bold statement, but someone’s got to try, right?

Let’s face it, service these days is mediocre, at best. My dream is to combine amazing products and visuals with an irresistable, exciting, memorable and inspiring retail experience. What exactly does that mean? Please keep following as I develop this concept and attempt to bring it to life at LIV. I’d love your feedback. How do YOU define the BEST shopping experience? What elements need to be in place? I have all sorts of ideas and I would love to hear yours.

Whoops. Got WAY off track my theme for a moment. Okay, so back to books. The reason for that tangent is that lingering among books is one of my own personal favourite shopping experiences. At any given time, I am reading one fiction book, one spiritual book and one business book. I know LIV is not a book store, but the concept is WHAT WE LOVE. And at LIV, you obviously won’t find racks and racks of books the way you do at Indigo, but you will find our absolute favourites in all the categories we feel is a fit for LIV and our customers. We’re just helping to narrow your focus.

If anyone is not sure what to buy me this season, start with a book. It is a simple, perfect gift.

Kate Spade books

A great gift

By the way, stunning pastel tea cup & saucer is $10

A home decor classic

- xo, Joanna

Joanna Goodman is Co-Owner and Creative Director of LIV by Au Lit and Au Lit Fine Linens. Joanna is also an accomplished author.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 26th, 2008 at 12:12 pm and is filed under For Your Home. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.