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indie bookstore entrepreneur IDEAS, INSPIRATION, BEST PRACTICES summer 2014 |
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Training for new owners & managers at the next workshop retreat
Owning a Bookstore: Managing for Love & Profit
Sept. 15-19, 2014
Amelia Island, FL
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Learn. Plan. Do.
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Staff training video immediately improves store visual merchandising
Bookstore Merchandising Made Easy 2.0 
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To preview video, click on image below.
Put ideas to use to inspire the sale:
* The most valuable retail real estate: the "Front of Store"
* Tables & focal point displays
* Sections throughout the store
* Shelf-talkers
* Impulse areas like the cash wrap & service areas
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As summer temperatures rise, so does the heat between Amazon and Hachette.
More and more people see corporate bullying and how the race to the bottom comes with a significant cost to our society.
The importance of being indie, locally owned, and community-focused is resonating far and wide. Let's emphasize this key aspect of our bookstores and give them lots of other reasons to keep choosing to shop indie.
indie, more valuable than ever .
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leveraging "local" ... enhancing the bookstore business model.
One thing we know for sure ... everyone who has an idea for a book comes into the bookstore for advice.
So why not embrace and support these publishing dreams, help see the projects into print, and add a new revenue stream to your business?
You don't need the Espresso Book Machine when Ingram now offers IngramSpark, allowing you to do short print runs with the remarkable equipment the large publishers are using when they go to press.
 Booksellers like Arcadia Books in Spring Green, Wisconsin have seen the possibilities. Arcadia published their own cookbook, From the Kitchen at Arcadia Books. What a beautiful way to showcase the bookstore and allow everyone to have recipes from favorite dishes.
Cookbooks are such a perfect indie bookstore tie-in as many people want to eat locally-grown foods and you likely know a half dozen or more really great cooks or restaurant owners who would be willing to share recipes. How about publishing a short collection of recipes from the holiday cookie exchange? Local history and food are two obvious areas where "local" can mean publishing a store bestseller yourself ... one that remains a strong backlist item too.
Years ago, way before print-on-demand technology, Paul Cossman, owner of Humpus Bumpus Book Store in Cumming, Georgia, sponsored a writing contest with the local schools. Winning pieces (and there were many) were published in an annual volume and children were thrilled to participate in a huge author signing party under a big tent -- to accommodate all the family members and friends who showed up for the occasion.
With available print-on-demand services, you could even help the grandparent who wants to document family history and simply share copies with a small circle of people. There may be a local company that wishes to print a special volume for a benchmark anniversary to give their customers. What about the local book you'd love to see back in print? There are so many possibilities.
Who has time in the store to handle the work? This could be a perfect opportunity to engage an independent contractor who will work on a project basis so you can build in their fee to the price of the service. Those with experience in marketing, sales, and printing already begin with key skills.
publishing local can be a natural path
to grow your business.
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retail field trip ...
how to shelve greeting cards.
Really good greeting cards are hard to find in many communities, so it's been a category many stores keep expanding because of the market opportunity and gross margin! Plus, there are so many indie creators with their own lines that it's fun to present images and messages that are fresh. You may choose to shelve cards by occasion (Birthday, New Baby, Anniversary, etc) or you can shelve by company. In the card business, they call them "look lines". 
Here's a section of the card studio at the brand new bookstore The Well-Read Moose in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. Owner Melissa DeMotte loves cards, so we created a large area adjacent to the cash wrap with slatwall gondolas packed with acrylic card strips from
Clear Solutions. Notice that Melissa chose to organize the card sections by line with these objectives  :
1) Introduce the line by making it easy to recognize & inviting to shop 2) Develop loyalty to specific lines You'll notice she uses the base to promote gift books and journals ... more impulse items.
And for kids cards, they are on a nearby endcase at the entrance to the children's section where no one will forget that they need a card to go along with that birthday present!
Notice the tiny gift card spinner on the top surface of the island case behind.
Promoting indie artists by offering their greeting cards is a perfect way to set your store apart and become a destination for great gifts and cards.
inspire customers to say
"I love your cards!
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fabulous finds.
Felix Doolittle & PaddyWax.
Felix Doolittle - Petite Love Notes, themed note cards, book plates, note pads, purse mirrors with delightful art ...  Felix Fu is an artist and visual storyteller who was born and raised in Hong Kong. Now living and working in Newton, Massachusetts, Felix creates tiny watercolors that capture the joy, beauty and essence of life. Charming and whimsical, his images have a nostalgic feeling that reminds one of a simpler, more magical time. I came home with a notecard packet called "Book Club" with a mouse reading to the cat.
Paddywax - Lovely "ex libris" line of candles can be perfectly cross-merchandised with fiction and are a nice add-on gift item for booklovers.
 Based in Nashville, Tennessee, Paddywax offers hand-poured, fragrance-infused, soy wax blended candles.
Based out of a tiny studio in Altadena, California, nestled in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, Jay Carlton tinkers and toils deep into the night, crafting images to help people share and express their feelings in meaningful and creative ways.
indie helping indie.
Let us know if you have a local
artisan with items that sell well in your store!
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 Here's to all things "indie"!
Ideas, objective feedback and guidance, encouragement (always) and support ... we are here for you for any bookstore project. Please have a look at our brand new website, with more information about services and training opportunities. Have some thoughts about your business you'd like to explore? Give us a call. Your first consultation is free and our rates are really quite affordable. Call us at 904.277.2664. We'd love to work with you! Warm regards, 
Mark & Donna Paz Kaufman The Bookstore Training Group of Paz & Associates |
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Store
Makeover
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Ready to update your store? Over time, things change! If it's time to refresh, rearrange,
focus on what's currently selling, beautifully mix your book and non-book merchandise, promote your fabulous services, call us! You'll be amazed at the changes that can be made on a small budget! Contact Donna at dpaz@pazbookbiz.com. | |
Fresh. Lively. Indie.
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