Steal This DVD: Turning a Bookstore Into a Media Center
Over the past decade, as the bookstore market has become increasingly competitive, many independent bookstores began to delve into sidelines in an effort to broaden their stores' appeal and to enhance their bottom line. For many booksellers, that meant bringing in CDs and, more recently, DVDs. BTW recently spoke to a number of booksellers whose stores carry CDs, DVDs, or both, and many noted that they decided to carry these products because the categories seemed to be a natural extension of the store's inventory.
The 2004 Northern California Independent Booksellers Association (NCIBA) trade show was held at the Oakland Convention Center/City Center Marriott in Oakland, California, from October 1 - 3. Hut Landon, executive director of NCIBA, told BTW that attendance was slightly up from last year, though not as high as years past. "But the people who came really worked the show and used it well," said Landon.
"Total attendance at this year's Upper Midwest Booksellers Association (UMBA) fall trade show, which was held from Friday, October 1, to Sunday, October 3, at the RiverCentre in St. Paul, Minnesota, was a bit lower than last year, said UMBA Executive Director Susan Walker, due in part to the closing of St. Paul's Ruminator Books and a change in the admissions policy, which affected the number of "peripheral people" in attendance.
