So…
A laminating machine goes on my shopping list. I just called out to my daughter, who’s on her computer in the next room, and the shop doesn’t have one. I’ve sort of wanted one for my own home use anyway. Now I really have a reason to buy one.
The sale table will be in the front of the store. It MIGHT go outside at times, but not if there’s even a chance of rain. We don’t have a good sidewalk area to put it in, either.
Currently, the shop has too many kid’s books. The manager and I are thinking of reducing the inventory in that area, except for the classics. But maybe if we will price them more affordably, they’ll move better. It’s something that I’ll bring up with her next time I meet her.
I had already planned to only hire book people…that is, people who read and love books. The two staff that are staying on know the stock, and love books. I plan to have a permanent display of staff picks.
The current policy is no more than four copies of one book…two on the shelf and two in the overstock area. Some exceptions can be made, but I feel that this is a good general rule. Also, the shop doesn’t usually take books that are in really bad shape, unless there’s a real market for that particular book. Again, we ain’t Half Price Books.
The selling price for most fairly new common paperbacks is 55% of the cover price. So, if you can wait for John Grisham’s latest novel to come out in used paperback, you can get yourself a bargain. If a paperback is rare or collectible, it’s put in a plastic archival bag and has a price sticker PUT ON THE BAG, NOT ON THE BOOK! The shop does not currently put a stamp or sticker on its stock, and I see no reason to start. I’m not familiar with hardback/trade paperback pricing policies, but I do know that the prices are pretty reasonable.
I love places with cartoons and newpaper clippings on them as well. I’m going to comb the paper daily and clip, clip, clip. Some of my favorite restaurants are those with a gazillion clippings on the wall, many of them tan with age and curling.
I’m going to keep a staff of three. The manager, my daughter (who is currently assistant manager, and how I found that the place was up for sale) and another clerk. My health prevents me from working on my feet for any period of time. BUT, I can certainly have my daughter bring home books for me to put into our online catalog! Since a hefty portion of the sales are online, this will be good for the store. Currently, the manager is spending a lot of her time cataloging. I want her to be selling and managing. I’ll do most of the cataloging.
I’m going to look into string bags and cloth tote bags. I love both items anyway, and I’d love to have tote bags with our logo on them. Part of my marketing plan includes the “reuse/recycle” theme, and reusable bags would work nicely with this. I’m thinking of getting T shirts and/or aprons printed up for the staff to wear. The manager and I are leaning towards aprons, as one size fits most, they’re recognizable from front and back, and they’re useful in a store where the merchandise might be a little dusty. I’m also thinking of having cloth book covers printed up.
The aisles are wide and easy to navigate. The shop is one-story, and I won’t lease a shop with a flight of stairs, because I cannot manage stairs myself. The current lease runs for another year or two, and I do plan to move to a better location if I can find one that’s practical and affordable. The current location is big enough, and it’s on Berry Street, but there’s no sign on the street, people have to know it’s there. I’m going to change that.
Currently, the music is set to the local “soft rock oldies” station. Sometimes it’s playing, sometimes not, according to the mood of the manager. She’s told me that the radio/cd/cassette player has some Issues, and so that’s another thing that I’m scouring garage sales for. That’s another discussion for my lawyer, too…playing music in the store.
The current hours are 9:45 to 5:45 Monday through Saturday, except for Thursdays, when the shop is open til 7:45. Being a night owl myself, I’d love to extend all days to at least 7:45. My preferred hours would be noon til nine PM Monday through Saturday. If I can afford to offer extended hours and Sunday, then I will. But since I can’t work a shift at the cash drawer, it’s going to depend on whether I can afford to hire enough people to staff those hours.
The name of the shop is currently The Book Shoppe. I figure that Bodoni’s Book Shop will be close enough to the old name to reassure old customers, while dropping that annoying “pe” at the end of shop.
I do plan to advertise. I think that this is THE biggest mistake that the current owner has made, he won’t advertise other than in the Yellow Pages. The store has a mailing list which the current owner never uses. That’s one resource. The manager knows of a trailer sign rental business, which will take care of the legal paperwork involved in getting a trailer sign license. We’ve also floated the idea of putting ads in the local college newspapers, in the local throwaway newspapers, etc. The store currently gives out bookmarks, and that’s one of the first things that I’ll buy, new bookmarks with the new logo on them. I don’t know if I’ll print them up myself or have them done professionally. I’ll also hand out business cards with “Save 15% off all regularly priced merchandise!” on them, just to bring people into the shop. I think that if I can get people into the habit of coming to the store, I can make a modest profit. I don’t plan on getting rich from this, but I do want to turn a profit.
