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Off and Running
Like their counterparts who have been in the book business for many years, today’s new bookstore owners are convinced of the value of bricks-and-mortar stores. Most new stores tend to be small, frequently 1,300 sq. ft. or less, and often fill a particular niche: Book Larder focuses on cookbooks; Curious Cup on children’s.
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Book Beat and Monkey See, Monkey Do Win Pannell Awards
This year’s winners of the Women’s National Book Association Pannell Awards are: Book Beat in Oak Park, Mich., and Monkey See, Monkey Do...Children’s Bookstore in Clarence, N.Y. The jury singled out Book Beat’s “passion and true understanding of children’s books and young readers.” They also cited its children’s and YA services, programs, and events, including its celebration of International Peace Day in local schools. Monkey See, Monkey Do was singled out for its innovative approaches to getting kids engaged with reading; its book clubs, reading, writing, and craft programs; and its summer camps serving 300 children.
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Canadian Booksellers Merge National Conference with Retail Council
The Canadian Booksellers Association's national conference coincides with BEA this year. That's bad timing, but CBA's senior manager says merging the event with the retail council's national gathering was the only way to save it.
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Bookstore Roundup: Openings, Awards, & Changing Hands
La Casa Azul celebrates its grand opening on June 1; Doylestown Bookshop has a new owner; and the Booksmith is honored during Small Business Week.
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National Retail Federation Begins Tax Fairness Campaign
In an effort to get congress to act on legislation that would make online retailers collect state sales tax, the National Retail Federation has launched a nationwide 60-day campaign to raise awareness about the issue among lawmakers and the public. “Our current sales tax system unfairly favors one set of retailers over another,” NRF president and CEO Matthew Shay said. “Congress is naming winners and losers by its failure to address this issue, and the brick-and-mortar retailers who create jobs across our country want action on this issue now.”
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Results Up at Books-A-Million
The addition of over 40 former Borders stores last fall helped to lift overall sales at Books-A-Million 10.5% in the first quarter ended April 28, to $113.1 million. Net loss from continuing operations in the period was cut to $1.9 million from $3.4 million. Comparable store sales fell 4.2% in the quarter.
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Kepler’s 2020 Launches Fundraising Campaign
Kepler’s 2020 project announced a fundraising goal of $250,000 by June 15 to keep the iconic Silicon Valley bookstore open and continue to reinvent it.
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B&N to Sell GPO e-Books
The U.S. Government Printing Office is extending the reach of its Federal e-books program through a partnership with Barnes & Noble to sell its books for the Nook eReader
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B&N Says New Concept Stores Are Not In Development
After a newspaper report surfaced about Barnes & Noble preparing to open a concept store in a former Borders in Bridgeport Village, Ore., a representative from the chain said the company is not developing new concept stores.
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Off and Running
Despite the odds—the growth of e-books, rising rent, and online discounting—bookstores continue to open and succeed. Speaking at the American Booksellers Association Forum in Medford, Mass., last month, ABA CEO Oren Teicher affirmed that membership in the organization has “stabilized,” and the number of bookstores is up slightly. PW contacted new bookseller/owners who have joined ABA over the past 18 months. Many are filling a void created by the collapse of Borders. Rebecca Glenn and Pete Ledesma, owners of the Book Frog, both worked for Borders stores. Some like Jennifer Cook, owner of Little Joe’s Books, are dipping their toes into the business for the first time and others have previously owned bookstores. A key for all, though, seems to be to think small, 400 to 2,700 sq. ft.
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Max Sound to Launch Online Audiobook Store
Max Sound Corp., a provider of high-definition audio solutions, is preparing to launch the MAXD Store, an online audiobook marketplace.
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Bookmasters Titles to Be Available on EBM
Bookmasters is making its distribution clients’ more than 50,000 POD titles available through the EBM “digital-to-print at retail” sales channel.
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McGraw-Hill Launches E-books Project with Univ. of Minn.
As part of a two-year partnership, McGraw-Hill Education is making its e-books available to students at the University of Minnesota at a discounted rate.
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The Changing Online Mix
According to the newest figures from Bowker Market Research, online retailers accounted for 39% of all book sales in 2011, up from 30% in 2010. The increase gave the online channel, led by Amazon and BN.com, a commanding lead over bookstore chains as the largest outlet for sales. The chains, weakened by the loss of Borders in the year, accounted for only 26% of sales, down from 29% in 2010. Data from Bowker, and other sources, suggest that the gains posted by the e-tailers are being driven mostly by e-book sales. Furthermore, the online channel, much like its bricks-and-mortar competitors, is seeing, if not a decline in print book sales, at least slowing growth.
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The Paper Store
Paper stores were originally news agents selling newspapers, magazines, and cigars. But no more, at least for the Paper Store, headquartered in Acton, Mass. Ever since Bob Anderson, fresh out of college, purchased the original 700 sq. ft. Paper Store in Maynard, Mass., in 1964, he has tinkered with size, format, and product mix to turn it into one of the largest regional chains—and one of the fastest growing retailers—in New England. The company now has more than 1,000 employees and continues to hire as it expands.
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On the Road: Politics & Prose
Washington, D.C.’s Politics & Prose is offering overseas tours with curated reading lists and book discussions to Ireland, France, India, and Israel.
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BAM Forms Committee As Offer Comes Under Attack
Books-A-Million’s board of directors has formed a two-person special committee to examine the proposal made by the Anderson family last week to acquire all the outstanding shares of the book retailer for $3.05 per share. The announcement comes as the offer comes under attack as undervalued from a number of different quarters.
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Revenue Up at Monsoon
Monsoon Commerce, which facilitates the sale of used and new products through its online marketplace, reported a 73% increase in first quarter merchant sales of general merchandise. Sales of media products, including books, rose 9% in the period.
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Ingram Launches iPage Upgrade
Ingram Content Group has launched a new and comprehensively redesigned version of iPage, its online search, order, and account management site.
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News Briefs: Week of May 7, 2012
Amazon Starts Strong and more
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