Kindles? No, really. I’ve often thought about buying one, but I’ve never seen one in the flesh, and I don’t like to buy electronics you have to look at (ie., things with screens) or touch a lot without testing them out first.
My bookshop guy emails me when there’s something new that I might be interested in. I went to school with him, so it’s probably not a service available to all customers… but should be.
My local (used) bookstore has weekly emails detailing coming events. She has poetry readings, acoustic music, drum stuff, book clubs, etc. Here is an excerpt from the most recent:
Not sure if these are what you’re thinking of, but I absolutely LOVE Classical Comics. The Shakespeare titles, at least, come in 3 versions: Original Text, Plain Text and Quick Text. I buy the Original Text versions, but other ppl might prefer the less-difficult versions. I find they make terrific bathroom books.
I’m actually looking into e-readers and iPads, but wouldn’t consider the Kindle. Amazon has put too much effort into locking people into buying ebooks only from them, and they have been working on the destruction of stores like mine for too long. I won’t do anything to support a business that’s actively trying to deprive me of my livelihood.
that sounds fascinating!
The comic-books classics really are very good - they’re useful for schools, too; I used to use them in all sorts of different ways when teaching English at secondary school. There are also Manga versions of almost every Shakespeare play.
BTW, if you don’t have the Horrible Histories books for kids, try them out. They’re absolutely bloody brilliant. This came to mind because the ‘cartoon history of the world’ series is excellent too - aimed at all age groups.
Chapter’s here in Canada has the “Kobo” e-readers, of which I have one. As best as I know, it’s ebook files are not proprietary format, and since it reads PDFs, you could ostensibly put any text file onto it which you print to .PDF. I completely agree with you regarding the unseemly business practices which Amazon seems to be partaking in.
This has been an awesome thread so far, and I really appreciate all of the ideas. If any other bookstore people want to chat, feel free to jump in here and/or PM me.
I would say certain niche CDs would be good. How big a town are you in? Classical CDs and certain Jazz albums would probably fare better than run of the mill pop music. Typical CD stores don’t stock a lot of them, and Naxos has a fantastic selection of both at good prices.
Chapter’s (big box store here) used to have a good shelf of pocket orchestral scores. Dover publishes a large number of pocket scores. One or two afficionados could put your kid through college. I should know…
By “Kindle”, I meant any e-book device, really. I just didn’t know what else they’re called.
For the Moms: The little plush toys that go with the children’s books. If I’m buying the Raggedy Ann books, there’s a good chance that I’m also in the market for a doll. And a lot of the more recent stuff (“How do Dinosaurs . . .”, etc.) have a plush doll too now.
Gift wrap service, if you don’t have it already. There are only two stores in my area that do this, and they get last-minute party business from me at least 4-5 times per year.
Is renting books on CD an option? They are super expensive, but so great for long trips or commutes. Also, a lot of colleges produce lecture series that I bet people would rent out. I know I would.
My immediate thought when I saw the thread title was “a cat!”. I used to go out of my way to go to the bookstore in Manassas, VA entirely because they had a cat (called Pringle) that usually lounged about in a basket by the till and sometimes wandered about the book stacks, happy to be stroked by customers 
It also had friendly staff but it was the kitty that kept me coming back - lots of places had friendly and helpful staff but this place had all that *plus *a kitty!
I understand the concern about the main road of course. The Manassas store was on the main road but Pringle was a rather lethargic cat rather than a ‘omg the door is open - now is my chance to flee!’ type animal.
I only skimmed parts of the thread, so I’m sorry if these have been mentioned:
- Are you sure there’s no way you could have even a small cafe in there? That’s 90% of the reason me and most of my friends (mid-20s) go into normal bookstores anymore. You said you recently moved into a bigger building, so I’m not sure if the restriction in the OP still applies.
Small local bookstores have an innate charm to them and that only gets amplified if you give your customers the chance to build more of an emotional bond (seriously) to the store by making them feel welcome to to sit and read or study or maybe get to know other locals. Intimacy is one of the very few innate draws you might have over Amazon.com or Ye Olde Big-box Bookstore (well, in your case it’s a bit different since you’re the only one in 50 miles, but still, it probably wouldn’t hurt, would it?).
The loyalty I feel to a store that I spend maybe 20 min once a month (just to buy books) versus one that I might spend 2-3 hours in every week is an order of magnitude apart. Give the place more soul is all I’m saying.
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I tend to go to bookstores mainly to buy, well, books. I don’t care about your other gimmicky things most of the time, but I DO want to know if I’ll be able to find the book I want at your store. If I’m not already aware of you – say I’m a tourist – can I easily find you in town? Are you in the local newspapers, brochures, tourist guides and such? Do you have an online presence? Is your store well-described in your marketing? Better yet, can I search your current inventory right from the web? There are sites you can partner with that’ll let you do that, and if you want, you can also wade into the online world and sell/ship excess inventory that your local customers don’t buy.
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Last but not least… please tell me your used books are clearly marked on the cover AND the spine
It’s really annoying having to dig through stacks of books to look at what may sometimes be just one tiny sticker by the barcode to find that one used copy.
I also want to say it’s really awesome that you run a bookstore. What a quaint and charming idea!
Posting without fully reading the thread here…
What I LOVE in a good bookstore is selection. I know it sounds basic, but a bookstore that consistently has, (or can get quickly-two weeks does me no good on vacation) a full line of “trilogy” type books will earn my* undying support for life*. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gone into a chain store looking for the first book in a current series and been unable to find it. Careful attention to that sort of thing will earn you a lot more impulse buys than you may think. The same person who is on the fence about purchasing a new read on vacation will almost always fall on the side of buying if the first book in a series is available.
I also love one local bookstore who makes up little recommendation cards and sticks them near popular authors and series. They say something like " Fans of Jim Butcher’s The Dresden Files also like: blah blah blah" I’ve found more than a few great new authors that way, and it’s a quick and cheap way of marketing to the shyer customers.
:dubious:
The population is 2300. We are the county seat, though, so we actually draw from around 7000.
The store is easy to find, and I own one of the local newspapers, so we’re definitely in there! As for online, we set up a new website last year with a 1.5 million title database (everything our distributors can order) and we upload our inventory every night so you know what’s on the shelves. The license fees are killing me. The website loses money every single month.
Used and new are shelved separately.
I sort of get what he’s saying: I go to bookstores to buy books, but typically the one I’ll go to is the one that has a cafe.
Gary, is your store in a mall, by the way?
Two great ideas and one sad one.
Anything that gives customers an icebreaker to talk to each other will likely increase sales. Intellectual people are often quite intrverted. But when it comes to books, word of mouth is King. So book groups and open seatin areas will help get folks chatting.
Even just a list where folks can recommend/vote on books for the discussion group will likely lead others to pick up a recommended title, even if they don’t participate.
I like the idea of shelving used and new togerther, but cclearly marked. I know when I’m in the bookstore, a bargain on the first book means I can pick up the second and third as well. 
I feel certain it would lead to more revenue, just not able to predict the effect on profit.
A bookstore is charming and quaint?!? Am I really that olde? 
Was it really that unclear? I still do buy books from bookstores, but I prefer the ones with hangout areas. Even when I’m at a bookstore, however, I don’t buy their overpriced gadgets and stationery.
Not sure I understand the 1.5 mil database thing. What does that have to do with you if it’s not your inventory? Can’t you just put your own stuff online for less than and ship directly to customers if they choose to buy something?
If you ever end up with large amounts of unsold inventory, Amazon also lets you send them a bunch of books to be warehoused and shipped by them. They pay you when the book sells and take commission (as opposed to licensing fees). There may be some minor warehousing fees if an item goes unsold for a while, but last I checked they weren’t that significant.
You are also free to list your inventory there and ship it yourself to Amazon buyers. They take a cut of sales, naturally, but it may be cheaper than whatever you’re paying for licensing currently.
Well, bookstores in general are a little of that, but I meant small indie ones in particular 
I love the idea, but how they survive is mostly a mystery to me. I try to shop at the local ones as much as I can, but their selection and prices are usually worse than Amazon’s. I only do it because because I don’t want them to go under and because I feel bad about all the shipping and cardboard from Amazon… but I guess in the long run pity and guilt hardly constitute a sustainable business model, heh.
Ooh, I like this idea a lot!
Another thing I would encourage is a table where you have gift set items. Put the newest Nora Roberts/Candace Bushnell/Julie Garwood book, a mug, a box of tea, and a bottle of bubble bath and advertise free gift wrapping if you buy all 4 items. Or during tourist season you put a map of the area, a book of the best local walking tours, and a western novel and you get a free pair of sunglasses or water bottle or something if you purchase them as a set. Purchase all 5 of the books on the reading list for your school and get a free set of highlighters.