Spotlight on ABA Board Candidate Beth Puffer

Director candidates on the ballot for this year's ABA Board elections are Betsy Burton of The King's English Bookshop in Salt Lake City, Utah; Becky Anderson of Anderson's Bookshop in Naperville, Illinois; and Beth Puffer of Bank Street Bookstore in New York City. The ballot also includes the names of Michael Tucker of Books Inc. in San Francisco for president and Becky Anderson for vice-president/secretary.

This week, BTW profiles Beth Puffer, a current member of the Board, up for election to a second three-year term.

Beth Puffer

Beth Puffer hadn't planned on a bookselling career, particularly as a children's bookseller. Puffer was a teacher in 1973, when she went to work at a New York City bookstore over a holiday break. "I decided to take a seasonal job at the now-defunct Brentano's ... and stayed. That was 36 years ago," she explained. "I had a couple of great managers who took me under their wing. I really loved it, and I decided it was my place."

Puffer later moved to the Boston area and became manager of the now-closed Eeyore's, a children's bookstore. "I'd been working in a general bookstore for many years and thought it would be a little difficult selling only children's books," she said. "But I've been selling children's books since 1981, and I love it." When Puffer came back to New York, her hometown, she began working for Bank Street Bookstore, which specializes in children's and education books. She's been there for 23 years and is the store's manager, buyer, and, she said jokingly, "chief cook and bottle washer."

Bank Street, which celebrated its 38th anniversary last fall, is owned by the Bank Street College. The store, which serves both the college and the neighboring community, stocks children's and adult titles, teacher supplies and curriculum guides, games and plush gifts, but no textbooks. "We offer a wide range of multicultural products," said Puffer. "We provide a place for people to find what they might not find elsewhere both in terms of service and selection." The mission of Bank Street has "always been getting the right book in the hands of the right child," she said. "There's nothing more satisfying than that. As affected as we all are when we read, children are even more affected."

Although Bank Street's purpose hasn't changed, the store has been modifying its operations strategy to adjust to the times. "Like all booksellers, we're looking to fine-tune the business," Puffer said. "We're rethinking the product mix, how we do things, and how we're spending our time. And IndieBound is certainly a part of that. We're talking even more about the importance of buying locally and buying from independent businesses." Bank Street has also been increasing its involvement with theaters, schools, and community groups through book fairs and other outside sales.

An ABA Board member since 2006, Puffer has served on the association's Booksellers Advisory Council and as chair of the Nominating Committee. She has also served on the boards of the New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association and New York Is Book Country and was treasurer of the Association of Booksellers for Children.

"When I started in this business, the biggest challenge was keeping track of your inventory in those pre-computer days," Puffer said. "Today booksellers face so many more challenges." Among those she'd like to continue addressing if elected to a second term on the ABA Board "is the need to educate our customers about the importance of shopping local and independent, the ability to stay relevant in today's rapidly changing world of content delivery, and nurturing the next generation of readers and book lovers."

Of her past experience, Puffer said, "Being on the ABA Board has been a delightful and educational experience. There is no doubt that working with my fellow board members, and the ABA staff has made me a better bookseller." --Karen Schechner

E-mailed ABA Board ballots must be submitted by April 30; printed ballots must be postmarked by April 30 and received by ABA's auditors, Marks Paneth & Schron, by May 7.

Read last week's BTW profile of Betsy Burton.