Here's a heartfelt take on the situation at Dutton's Brentwood, whose landlord wants to tear down the striking building housing the store to put up a retail/office/condo complex, in which he says he will give the store space. (This is becoming an ugly trend: only yesterday we ran a link to a story about the University of Alabama's desire to tear down the building housing the Alabama Book Store and put up a parking garage.)

In the Los Angeles Times, the daughter of the architect who designed the building housing Dutton's Brentwood makes a plea to preserve it.

"Built in 1950, it's a classic example of midcentury California contemporary architecture," Diane Caughey, an architect and Jungian psychotherapist, writes. "Its solar shades foreshadowed today's green design. The simple facade floats above the sidewalk, held up by small steel columns, typical of the modern movement. The openness created below invites you in off the street to enjoy the intimate heart of the building, the courtyard."

She continued, "Like a good marriage, building and bookstore have brought out the best in each other. The wonderful experience of browsing Dutton's shelves is bodily linked to the character of the physical space. The emotional descriptions of the store as 'funky' or 'sacred' reflect our deep longing for spaces where the world can feel intimate again. History, memory and love have been absorbed into the very steel and wood of the walls. That's what brings a building to life."

Not surprisingly, Caughey said she believes that if the bookstore were to occupy a new building on the site, it wouldn't be the same. "Without that building, in my mind, Dutton's would always be a widow."

Bookselling This Week surveys Colorado booksellers, who have had one of the snowiest winters in years. For a time, Boulder Book Store was the only store open in downtown Boulder, and owner David Bolduc used his four-wheel drive vehicle to pick up and return employees. At Troubadour Books in Boulder some orders arrived late because UPS couldn't get through.

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BTW also profiles Apple Blossom Books, Oshkosh, Wis., a 1,200-sq.-ft. general bookstore that opened in August 2005.

One of many initiatives introduced by owner Candy Pearson: "a delivery program to several of the surrounding towns, where she drops off books at a central location. One drop-off point is at a nursing home about 20 minutes away, where Apple Blossom maintains a small display. 'The people there really appreciate it,' said Pearson."

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Paz & Associates celebrates its 15th birthday this year and is the subject of a story in BTW. Founded by Donna Paz and run with her husband, Mark Kaufman, the company puts on workshops that are essential for prospective booksellers and offers help and experts on store design, newsletters, opening inventory, book selection, how to get and use coop funds, marketing and more. Congratulations, Donna and Mark!

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Magnolia News tends to an unusual specialty bookstore, Flora & Fauna Books, Seattle, Wash., owned by David Hutchinson, which stocks several thousand titles on plants, animals, natural history and more. Customers have included "city, state and federal governmental agencies, tech companies, botanical gardens in Singapore, someone who needed 14 copies of guides to orchids in Papua, New Guinea, and a California artist who was looking for an image of a raccoon's hind quarters for a park sign she was painting," the paper wrote.

The store deals with 600-700 publishers, some of which publish only several books a year. The store sells some titles in-store and online, but most sales take place on the phone or by fax.

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Several readers have written to us, expressing concern about Pandemonium Books & Games, the Cambridge, Mass., science fiction/fantasy store owned by Tyler Stewart, who has stated online that the 17-year-old store is in financial difficulty. A three-month closing while moving hurt a lot, and Stewart has let most of his staff go. To save the store, he has devised a plan to offer a new T-shirt each month. If he sells 1,000 T-shirts monthly, he'll be able to pay back taxes and debt, he predicts. For discussion about the store and T-shirts, go to the Pandemonium blog.

A reader called Pandemonium "one of those dream bookstores: huge selection, comfortable space, and, most importantly, friendly and knowledgeable staff. It would be a shame to see it go." 

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In late March, Borders will open a 22,000-sq.-ft. store in Orchard Park, N.Y., in suburban Buffalo. The store will be located in the Quaker Crossing shopping center at the intersection of Milestrip Road and U.S. Route 219.

 

We were sidetracked yesterday by the latest in the PGW drama, but now we're returning to coverage of the ABA's Winter Institute. Below is a story based on the handselling session; we'll have more stories next week.

By the way, Bookselling This Week has a nice photo montage of the Winter Institute and a "bookseller's chronicle" of the experience by the charming, lively Jessica Stockton, events coordinator for McNally Robinson Booksellers in New York City.

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One form of handselling at Vroman's, Pasadena, Calif., consists of the store supporting a book store-wide "if five or more staff members read and like it," Allison Hill said. "It has to be of universal interest, something that you might pick for a book club." The store promotes the titles with press releases and shelf talkers, among other things. The last such pick was Any Bitter Thing by Monica Wood, which sold 900 copies at Vroman's. Hill said that other forms of handselling at the store include having blogs, linking with author sites, creating a store MySpace page, participating in the One City, One Book program and "getting on board with the library." Another form of handselling is building personal relationships, which Hill said can be crucial. "I shop at my grocery store only because the cashier knows my name," she said.

Hill also emphasized that stores make sure that staff know the importance of handselling. "Many of them don't realize how much power they have to put the right book in the right person's hand," she commented. Handselling can make staff members enjoy their jobs more.

This past holiday season, for the first time, Vroman's conducted handselling training for the staff, which she called "a lot of fun." Such training is important because "sometimes we assume there's an understanding," she explained, but "not all handsellers are created equal. There are varying degrees of handselling ability."

Illustrating another way of involving staff in handselling, Amanda Lydon, manager of Good Yarns Bookshop, Hastings-on-Hudson, N.Y., said she asks that at staff meetings, everyone "bring a book to handsell and talk about it."

Hill also pointed out one of many reasons to speak positively of books and authors. At a store where she used to work, a bookseller reacted to a customer's interest in a particular title by saying, "Dude, you don't want to buy this. It's crap." The customer turned out to be the author and was very displeased. "We heard from his publisher the next day," she said with a shudder.

The ABA's Len Vlahos commented: "A good bookseller won't ever make a person feel bad."

Speaking from the floor, Joe Drabyak of Chester County Book & Music Co., West Chester, Pa., said that he tries to find customers' "parameters" and not offend them by asking for their last favorite book and last book they didn't like.

Vlahos noted that "consumers are being trained to rely on peer recommendations as much as professional recommendations," in part because many people think professional recommendations are paid for. Because of higher trust levels for independent stores, booksellers have "a real opportunity." In cases where customers are buying for someone whose tastes they don't know, Vlahos suggested offering gift cards. Such a solution can work well for people who want a gift for a grandchild.

At least one study has shown that 55% of children's bookstore sales are handsold vs. 33% for general bookstores. A suggestion was made that staff should be paid a half hour to read or skim through children's books. Valerie Koehler of Blue Willow Bookshop, Houston, Tex., concurred, saying, "If your staff isn't reading children's books, you're shooting yourself in the foot. Everybody's grandchild is gifted and deserving. People are much more willing to put out money for their grandchildren and children than for themselves."

Sidelines should also be handsold, the group agreed. Allison Hill commented: "There's no reason nonbook merchandise cannot be staff picks." She suggested explaining to staff members about sidelines' better margins, and said for those squeamish about selling sidelines, "I'd rather have a customer end up buying a gift nonbook than nothing."

Vlahos stressed that "non book items complement rather than supplement books." And, he continued, "a good book buyer does not necessarily a good nonbook buyer make."--John Mutter

 

The New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association (whose bestseller list appears coincidentally in this issue) has set up an impressive schedule of NAIBAhood Gatherings for this spring. Each is open to all booksellers and publishers. NAIBA members may attend for free; non-members pay $20 per person. Call 516-333-0681 or e-mail info@naiba.com to register.

The Gatherings:

Buying as a Merchant, Not a Bookseller will be held Friday, March 16, 2-6 p.m. at Browseabout Books, Rehoboth Beach, Del. Host Steve Crane talks about buying and selling books and sidelines. At the same time as the meeting, Writers at the Beach is hosting its annual confab, and Carolyn Parkhurst, Brad Barkley, poet Barbara Crooker, Richard and Robert Bausch, Sheri Reynolds and others will be at the store for a reception at 6 p.m.

Store Design, Sunday, April 15, 10 a.m.-Noon, followed by lunch. McNally Robinson Booksellers, New York City. Host Sarah McNally will talk about her store's look, and participants will discuss store design, fixture placements, colors, merchandising and more.

Increasing Sales Through Author & Illustrator Visits to Schools. Sunday, April 22, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., followed by lunch with authors. Booktenders' Secret Garden, Doylestown, Pa. Host Ellen Mager will talk about how she has built her business and personal relationships with authors and illustrators.

Community Value, Wednesday, April 25, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., followed by lunch with a local author. Good Yarns Bookshop, Hastings-on-Hudson, N.Y. Host Amanda Lydon and others will discuss how to make the bookstore a community hub and stage events, book fairs, community programs and more to help sales.

Handselling Tips, the Digital Revolution and an ABA Forum and Strategic Planning, Wednesday, April 25, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., including lunch. Holiday Inn Carrier Circle, East Syracuse, N.Y. Hosts Rob Stahl of the Colgate Bookstore and the ABA's Len Vlahos will focus on handselling, new technology's effect on bookselling and ABA issues, including the development of a new strategic plan.

The Art of Midlist and Author-less Events. Sunday, April 29, 10 a.m.-12 p.m., followed by lunch. Clinton Bookshop, Clinton, N.J. Host Harvey Finkel discusses the store's midlist and authorless events and its cooperation with other businesses. Several publishers will offer advice on how to approach publishers for authors and support.

Digital Revolution and ABA Forum. Sunday, May 6, 1 p.m.-5 p.m. Chester County Book & Music Company, West Chester, Pa. Hosts Joe Drabyak and the ABA's Len Vlahos talk about the effect of new technology on bookselling and ABA issues.

This morning on the Today Show, Paul G. Stoltz and Erik Weihenmayer talk about The Adversity Advantage: Turning Everyday Struggles into Everyday Greatness (Fireside, $25.95, 9780743290227/0743290224).

 

The following were the bestselling titles during the week ended Sunday, February 4, at member bookstores of the New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association as reported to Book Sense:

Hardcover Fiction

1. The Castle in the Forest by Norman Mailer (Random House, $27.95, 9780394536491)
2. You Suck by Christopher Moore (Morrow, $21.95, 9780060590291)
3. House of Meetings by Martin Amis (Knopf, $23, 9781400044559)
4. Dust by Martha Grimes (Viking, $25.95, 9780670037865)
5. Plum Lovin' by Janet Evanovich (St. Martin's, $16.95, 9780312306342)
6. Sacred Games by Vikram Chandra (HarperCollins, $27.95, 9780061130359)
7. For One More Day by Mitch Albom (Hyperion, $21.95, 9781401303273)
8. Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky (Knopf, $25, 9781400044733)
9. The Boleyn Inheritance by Philippa Gregory (Touchstone, $25.95, 9780743272506)
10. The Alexandria Link by Steve Berry (Ballantine, $25.95, 9780345485755)
11. What Is the What by Dave Eggers (McSweeney's, $26, 9781932416640)
12. Travels in the Scriptorium by Paul Auster (Holt, $22, 9780805081459)
13. The Emperor's Children by Claire Messud (Knopf, $25, 9780307264190)
14. Cross by James Patterson (Little, Brown, $27.99, 9780316159791)
15. Deep Storm by Lincoln Child (Doubleday, $24.95, 9780385515504)

Hardcover Nonfiction

1. About Alice by Calvin Trillin (Random House, $14.95, 9781400066155)
2. The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama (Crown, $25, 9780307237699)
3. Palestine by Jimmy Carter (S&S, $27, 9780743285025)
4. I Feel Bad About My Neck by Nora Ephron (Knopf, $19.95, 9780307264558)
5. The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins (Houghton Mifflin, $27, 9780618680009)
6. You: On a Diet by Michael F. Roizen, M.D., and Mehmet C. Oz, M.D. (Free Press, $25, 9780743292542)
7. Power, Faith, and Fantasy by Michael B. Oren (Norton, $35, 9780393058260)
8. Born on a Blue Day by Daniel Tammet (Free Press, $24, 9781416535072)
9. The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan (Penguin Press, $26.95, 9781594200823)
10. Positively American by Chuck Schumer (Rodale, $24.95, 9781594865725)
11. The Best Life Diet by Bob Greene (S&S, $26, 9781416540663)
12. Thomas Hardy by Claire Tomalin (Penguin Press, $35, 9781594201189)
13. Supreme Conflict by Jan Crawford Greenburg (Penguin Press, $27.95, 9781594201011)
14. American Bloomsbury by Susan Cheever (S&S, $26, 9780743264617)
15. American Fascists by Chris Hedges (Free Press, $25, 9780743284431)

Trade Paperback Fiction

1. The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards (Penguin, $14, 9780143037149)
2. The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai (Grove, $14, 9780802142818)
3. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See (Random House, $13.95, 9780812968064)
4. Snow by Orhan Pamuk (Vintage, $14.95, 9780375706868)
5. The History of Love by Nicole Krauss (Norton, $13.95, 9780393328622)
6. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho (HarperSanFrancisco, $13.95, 9780061122415)
7. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (Riverhead, $14, 9781594480003)
8. March by Geraldine Brooks (Penguin, $14, 9780143036661)
9. The Brief History of the Dead by Kevin Brockmeier (Vintage, $13.95, 9781400095957)
10. Case Histories by Kate Atkinson (Back Bay, $13.99, 9780316010702)
11. The Night Watch by Sarah Waters (Riverhead, $15, 9781594482304)
12. My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult (Washington Square, $14, 9780743454537)
13. The Children of Men by P.D. James (Vintage, $13.95, 9780307275431)
14. On Beauty by Zadie Smith (Penguin, $15, 9780143037743)
15. The Sea by John Banville (Vintage, $12.95, 9781400097029)

Trade Paperback Nonfiction

1. The Measure of a Man by Sidney Poitier (HarperSanFrancisco, $14.95, 9780061357909)
2. Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert (Penguin, $15, 9780143038412)
3. The Places in Between by Rory Stewart (Harvest, $14, 9780156031561)
4. The Freedom Writers Diary by Erin Gruwell and the Freedom Writers (Broadway, $13.95, 9780767924900)
5. Dreams From My Father by Barack Obama (Three Rivers, $14.95, 9781400082773)
6. Running With Scissors by Augusten Burroughs (Picador, $14, 9780312425418)
7. The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan (Mariner, $14.95, 9780618773473)
8. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls (Scribner, $14, 9780743247542)
9. The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson (Vintage, $14.95, 9780375725609)
10. A Man Without a Country by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. (Random House, $13.95, 9780812977363)
11. The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell (Back Bay, $14.95, 9780316346627)
12. The Pursuit of Happyness by Chris Gardner (Amistad, $14.95, 9780060744878)
13. 90 Minutes in Heaven by Don Piper (Revell, $12.99, 9780800759490)
14. Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin (S&S, $19.95, 9780743270755)
15. Zagat Survey: New York City Restaurants 2007 (Zagat, $14.95, 9781570068157)

Mass Market

1. S Is for Silence by Sue Grafton (Berkley, $7.99, 9780425212691)
2. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (Warner, $6.99, 9780446310789)
3. The Last Templar by Raymond Khoury (Signet, $9.99, 9780451219954)
4. Dirty Blonde by Lisa Scottoline (HarperCollins, $7.99, 9780060742911)
5. 1984 by George Orwell (Signet, $7.95, 9780451524935)
6. The Templar Legacy by Steve Berry (Ballantine, $7.99, 9780345476166)
7. Honeymoon by James Patterson and Howard Roughan (Warner, $7.99, 9780446613378)
8. The Official Scrabble Players Dictionary, Fourth Edition (Merriam-Webster, $7.50, 9780877799290)
9. The Two Minute Rule by Robert Crais (Pocket, $7.99, 9781416514961)
10. Point Blank by Catherine Coulter (Jove, $7.99, 9780515141689)

Children's Titles

1. Forever in Blue (The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, #4) by Ann Brashares (Delacorte, $18.99, 9780385729369)
2. Junie B. Jones and the Mushy Gushy Valentine by Barbara Park (Random House, $3.99, 9780375800399)
3. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson (HarperEntertainment, $6.99, 9780061227288)
4. Eragon by Christopher Paolini (Laurel-Leaf, $6.99, 9780440238485)
5. Charlotte's Web by E.B. White (HarperEntertainment, $7.99, 9780061120268)
6. Flotsam by David Wiesner (Clarion, $17, 9780618194575)
7. Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown, illustrated by Clement Hurd (HarperCollins, $7.99, 9780694003617)
8. The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick (Scholastic, $22.99, 9780439813785)
9. The Cupid Chronicles by Coleen Paratore (S&S, $15.95, 9781416908678)
10. The End (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 13) by Lemony Snicket, illustrated by Brett Helquist (HarperCollins, $12.99, 9780064410168)
11. Love You Forever by Robert Munsch, illustrated by Sheila McGraw (Firefly, $4.95, 9780920668375)
12. The Wedding Planner's Daughter by Coleen Murtagh Paratore (Aladdin, $5.99, 9781416918547)
13. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo (Candlewick, $18.99, 9780763625894)
14. Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo (Candlewick, $5.99, 9780763625580)
15. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling (Scholastic, $6.99, 9780590353427)

[Many thanks to Book Sense and NAIBA!]