Literary Bookpost Makes Mark in Small North Carolina Town

How many Ph.D.'s, J.D.'s, and locksmiths does it take to run a successful bookstore? If the Literary Bookpost in Salisbury, North Carolina, is any indication -- a total of four, with some help from Book Sense. Owner Deal Safrit, who formerly ran an industrial locksmith business, founded the store in 1998, and has built a small staff of part-timers comprised of doctors of philosophy and a lawyer. Safrit traces his dream of owning a bookstore to his preteen years spent scouring the shelves of the now defunct Bunker's Bookstore in Salisbury.

Since its opening in August of 1998, the Literary Bookpost has been filling a vital need in the Rowan county community of 25,000 people. Located half a city block from the center of the town's vibrant downtown, the Bookpost offers 1,800 square feet of selling space and numerous displays devoted to Book Sense, both the various 76 lists and the Bestsellers lists.

"We used the New York Times list when we first opened -- we predated Book Sense. As soon as [the Book Sense program] started, we jumped into the program with everything we could. Book Sense has been the best thing that has ever happened to the store," Safrit told BTW in a recent interview. "The Book Sense Bestseller list, which we use now, and report to religiously, more closely reflects our customers' tastes. It's incredible how much it reflects our customers' tastes."

The Bookpost has shelves for the Book Sense Bestsellers and three adjacent shelf displays for the newest 76 titles. The specialty 76 lists are also highlighted. "We have four freestanding 76 displays -- one each for mysteries, history, poetry, and children," Safrit explained. "We didn't even carry children's books until Book Sense started a Children's 76 list. I ordered them and created a children's section, which is now one of the highest earning departments in the store."

Earnings have been well on the plus side for almost all of the store's life. Safrit points to the 2002 numbers which were "up 41 percent over those in 2001. Our 2002 holiday sales were up 26 percent over 2001. But … the first quarter of 2003, we posted our first ever decrease in sales. It's a combination of severely bad weather, the poor economy catching up to this area, and the war in Iraq. Our numbers are edging up now, and we almost met last year's sales in March." Safrit said that the store will double its existing space in the near future, now that the landlord has made it possible to add a second floor.

Safrit attributes the store's steady growth to a number of factors, including two marketing efforts -- a print newsletter published five times a year and mailed to over 1,500 customers; and a discount program for reading groups. The store serves over 25 book/reading groups and all receive a 10 percent discount on all books purchased at the store, not only their club selections.

Contributing to the popularity of reading groups is the academic community of local Catawba College. Sheila Brownlow is a professor of social psychology there, and she helps out at the story during the holidays and summer break. She's also married to owner Deal Safrit. Their marriage coincided with the store's founding and has also been steeped in books. Exchanging vows in Scotland, selected for its absence of a prenuptial waiting period, they honeymooned in the Welsh "Town of Books," Hay-on-Wye. The town, chronicled in the number one May/June Book Sense 76 pick, Sixpence House: Lost in a Town of Books by Paul Collins (Bloomsbury), has 1,500 inhabitants and over 40 bookstores and is a magnet for bibliophiles everywhere. Brownlow and Safrit certainly qualify -- they have no television, no computer, and no cell phones. "We read," said Safrit. -- Nomi Schwartz