Non-book

07 Apr

Books and Food: A Great Combination

Bookstores have found a sideline that everybody likes: food. Booksellers from Books and Greetings, Readers’ Books, and  Clinton Book Shop recently spoke to BTW about the food or food-related items they’ve added to their inventory.

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10 Mar

Nürnberg Toy Fair: Eat Sleep Play

Becky Anderson was “blown away” by the scope of Germany’s Nürnberg Toy Fair, where she recently found several new toy lines for Anderson’s Bookshops and came away with ideas for how indie booksellers can share information about favorite products.

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20 Oct

Booksellers Embrace ABFFE Affiliate Program

Hundreds of booksellers are supporting the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression and its all-important work in the fight against censorship by selling products in the ABFFE affiliate program, including reading glasses, bookmarks, and incense.

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09 Sep

Maroma Offers Indian Incense Through ABFFE

Maroma, a supplier of incense and other aromatic products from India, is the newest partner in the affiliate program sponsored by the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression.

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21 Jul

Sidelines That Sell

Standout sidelines – whether they’re laminated stamp bookmarks, quality fair trade journals, or flip toys – usually sell themselves.

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04 Nov

Great Gifts & Other Non-Book Products ... Just Don't Call Them Sidelines

As price wars dip into already slim profits, offering an array of gifts and other non-book products with impulse purchase appeal can make a significant difference in a bookstore's bottom line this holiday season. Here's a look at some popular items selling well at three indies whose owners take serious advantage of the excellent margins offered by non-book products. Just don't call them sidelines, Steve Bercu, owner of BookPeople in Austin, Texas, cautioned. "I will point out that BookPeople does not sell any sidelines.

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13 May

Toy Retailing Association Extends Trade Show Discount to ABA Members

The American Specialty Toy Retailing Association (ASTRA) is offering its trade show member rate of $149 to bookstore members of the American Booksellers Association who would like to attend the ASTRA Marketplace & Academy, to be held in St.

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12 Mar

Playing Games New and Old at Toy Fair

By Valerie Koehler of Blue Willow Bookshop

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25 Sep

Notes From the Sidelines: Bracelets, Banks, Albums & More

Whatever a bookseller calls merchandise other than books -- sidelines, gifts, or non-book items -- the effects are still the same: The addition of non-book merchandise to the inventory mix can add significantly to a bookstore's bottom line.

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07 Feb

The Gift Experience

By Lance Fensterman

When was the last time you stood refueling your car and didn't see, essentially, a convenience store inside the gas station? Have you been to a movie theatre recently that had no concession stand? Did you know that Best Buy is now opening stores where you can get a pedicure and buy organic healthcare products while you learn about the latest iPod innovations?

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24 Jan

Sizzlin' Sideline From Bookshop Santa Cruz

Bookshop Santa Cruz in Santa Cruz, California, is no stranger to tongue-in-cheek, clever marketing gambits. In 1993, the bookstore weighed Rush Limbaugh's book and sold it at the price of baloney. In 1995, the store included an airline "barf bag" with every copy of Newt Gingrich's To Renew America (HarperCollins).

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09 Apr

Baker & Taylor Announces Special Disney DVD Offer to Independent Bookstores

Baker & Taylor has teamed up with Disney and Buena Vista Home Entertainment to present to independent booksellers a promotional offer meant to make it easier for booksellers to market DVDs in their stores. The companies are offering bookstores a Disney DVD display rack featuring a selection of 16 Buena Vista Home Video titles. Bookstores that participate in the promotion will receive a $100 placement fee, 90-day payment terms, and a free merchandising display unit. The offer is limited to the first 500 customers.

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About ABA

The American Booksellers Association, a national not-for-profit trade organization, works with booksellers and industry partners to ensure the success and profitability of independently owned book retailers, and to assist in expanding the community of the book.

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