“Introduction to Bookselling” Workshop at Wi10 Draws 25 Booksellers

On February 8, just prior to Winter Institute 10, 25 booksellers, representing 17 prospective or established businesses, participated in the “Introduction to Bookselling” workshop presented by the American Booksellers Association and facilitated by Mark and Donna Paz Kaufman of the Bookstore Training Group of Paz & Associates at Asheville, North Carolina’s Grove Park Inn. This year’s class was the largest since 2009, the start of the economic recession.

A full day of educational programming explored the questions: Why are some indie bookstores currently reporting record growth in sales? What is required to sustain a successful bookstore?

Workshop attendees learned about trends in the book industry; claiming a competitive advantage in today’s retail environment; the importance of choosing the right location and a community’s ability to support an independent bookstore; and understanding the financial dynamics of retail bookselling — how much it would cost to open, what can be expected as a return on investment, how much you can sell and earn to meet personal financial goals.

Several workshop attendees, including Adah Fitzgerald and Catherine Hamilton-Genson of Mooresville, North Carolina, were already negotiating to purchase an existing bookstore.

“Mark and Donna Kaufman’s workshop was a veritable bookstore boot camp, preparing us for the realities of retail while fueling our inspiration to become a part of this passionate, creative community of booksellers, writers, publishers, and readers,” said Fitzgerald. “We feel much better equipped to take on ownership of this bookstore that has longstanding ties to the community.”

Prospective booksellers Christen Thompson and Julia Turner were attending the workshop to explore the idea of a launching a bookmobile as the first step toward building community awareness of a retail storefront location in Charleston, South Carolina. The pair, who plan to call their mobile store Itinerant Literate, said the workshop was a “game-changing experience” that solidified their plans to move forward with the bookmobile.

Following the workshop, Fitzgerald and Hamilton-Genson and Thompson and Turner attended Winter Institute 10, which, they said, built on what they had just learned. Thompson and Turner told BTW that they were energized by the warm welcome they received at the institute from their future colleagues.

“It was exciting meeting booksellers, and on top of that, meeting booksellers who were excited to hear we were opening a bookmobile. We were overwhelmed by the sense of community we found there, and even more overwhelmed at how quickly we were accepted into that community,” Turner said. “We’re excited to be a part of it and plan to keep all the friends we made updated on our progress.”

Paz & Associates will conduct a more in-depth “bookstore boot camp” workshop retreat, from April 13 – 17, at Amelia Island, Florida. The weeklong “Owning a Bookstore” workshop is aimed at new and prospective bookstore owners who are looking for a professional training program that focuses on the successful strategies for launching and managing an independent bookstore. Topics will include inventory selection, management and merchandising; computerizing; marketing; the look and feel of store design and layout; cultivating frontline staff to be customer service specialists and handsellers; and more. ABA members are entitled to discounted tuition. For more information, contact Paz & Associates at (904) 277-2664 or visit PazBookBiz.com.