Bookshop lease now firmly in hand (via the Bookshop Blog)

I recently started contributing to a website called The Bookshop Blog.  My first post there is entitled "Lease Now Firmly In Hand" and talks about the odd timing of the last few weeks--I delivered my signed store lease the same day the Borders news was all over the national radio and TV programming.  Check it out here:  http://bookshopblog.com/2011/07/26/the-bookshop-lease-now-firmly-in-hand/

Storytimes!

Janet Geddis, Avid's owner, conducts monthly storytimes at Full Bloom Pregnancy & Young Parenting Center as well as at Arrow Space for Families.

Full Bloom Storytimes:
Every Wednesday at 4, Full Bloom hosts storytime.  Avid Bookshop helps out the second Wednesday of each month.  Come see us! This storytime is especially geared toward babies & their caregivers, but kids up to 7 will be entertained.

Full Bloom
220 N. Milledge Ave
Athens, GA 30601
http://fullbloomparent.com/

Arrow Storytimes:
The first Wednesday of each month at 11:00 AM, Janet visits Arrow Space for Families (adjacent to Big City Bread Cafe) to read stories with the little ones.  The reading is especially geared toward infants & toddlers, but all kids and their caregivers are welcome.

Arrow
393 N. Finley St., Studio D
Athens, GA 30601
http://www.ourarrow.blogspot.com

Borders closing ALL its doors after 40 years.

Well, it's really happening:  Borders Books & Music is shuttering its 399 remaining stores, including the one here in Athens in Beechwood Shopping Center on Alps Rd.

The Athens Banner-Herald posted this article today, and of course I decided to formally respond.  Here's what I wrote in the comments section.  Let me know what you think:

Some may be surprised to hear that even though I am a local, independent bookseller, I am saddened by our community's loss.  When Borders closes their 399 stores, approximately 10,700 booksellers will be jobless.  This is heartbreaking for them and for the industry at large.  Many of my friends and acquaintances here list our Alps Rd. Borders as one of their favorite places to hang out, and I feel sympathetic to them--it's hard to lose that "third place."

When Borders' woes were first made very public months ago, I wrote a piece for Beyond the Trestle about what it would mean if Borders were to go under--you can read it here if you're interested: http://beyondthetrestle.com/content/well-be-better-borders

To answer to a few of the commenters above:  Athens will now be home to just two independent bookstores.  Jackson Street Books downtown sells used books, DVDs, and more.  They have a great collection of competitively priced used materials and antiquarian books.  Avid Bookshop, my store, is currently online and events-based only, but we are moving into a retail storefront on Prince Avenue in the coming months.  We sell both new and used books as well as cards, gifts, and locally-made gift items.

There's a lot of talk out there about the demise of books and reading, but the amount of hours people spend reading has actually remained relatively constant over the last many decades.  When the big box stores began to open all over the country in the early- to mid-1990s, many independent shops lost their customer base and went out of business.  But, time and time again in recent years, we are seeing that the big box stores are having a hard time getting a handle on the rapidly-changing industry.  Some--not all!--independent stores that are willing to alter their business plans and approaches to bookselling are actually thriving, and MANY independent bookstores have been opening in the last couple of years--the number of new indie stores rivals that of the number of new stores per year in the pre-big box days. This is great news for small business, local economies, and, most of all, people who love to read.

All this is to say that I am sad about the closing of Borders and the loss of jobs, but I don't think bookstores are dead.  If you value reading, it behooves you to go to a store you know and love, where you trust the booksellers' recommendations and feel comfortable.  For some people, that place will be Barnes & Noble.  For others, that was Borders.  And for many others (like me), I feel most at home in many of the locally-owned bookstores.  Not all are fabulous, but the ones worth your time are.   

Thanks for reading this long-winded comment!

Sincerely,

Janet Geddis

Avid Bookshop LLC

Athens, GA

Borders bankrupt; Athens location is safe (for now)

A few weeks back I wrote a short piece over at Beyond the Trestle about why I didn't want the Borders chain to fail. For many moons now, Borders Group has been facing seemingly insurmountable troubles, and today they declared bankruptcy. They have an action plan, though, and hope by shuttering about one-third of their stores (the 200 that are reportedly causing them to lose MILLIONS of dollars) they can save the company at large as they restructure.

I'm not very hopeful that they'll be able to hold on much longer.

The Athens store is a busy, bustling one, though it's never easy from the outside to know if even the busiest-looking retail outlets are indeed profitable. For now, I'm grateful that the acquaintances and strangers at our local Borders have not lost their jobs, benefits, and insurance. That's right: the Athens location is NOT on the list of closing stores. Goodness knows Athens doesn't need any more unemployment.

What consumers must keep in mind is that the death of some bookstores does not at all predict the death of all. Borders' business model is COMPLETELY different from independent bookstores' business models. The buy local initiatives in our country are increasing rapidly, bringing more dollars to our locally-owned businesses (and therefore funneling more money into the local economy). The sheer number of books out there can be overwhelming; it's comforting and necessary to have a book expert at your local store who can help you find the book YOU want to read, not the book all the chains are pushing that week or the book that Amazon's mystical logarithm thinks you want. And you know nothing beats browsing the aisles of a funky, unique bookstore!

Today the American Booksellers Association, the trade association for independently-owned bookstores, released a statement that pretty much sums up how I feel about the situation. They also talk about the successes of most indie booksellers as well as the growing number of us out there. Please read it here.

Note: This piece also appears at Beyond the Trestle.

A reflection on the Unchained Tour...and some news!

Writer Lila Allen had this to say about getting on board with the Unchained Tour this past October. I echo many of her sentiments. I didn't get to tour with the group, but I was able to play a major role in the planning of the tour (and of course helped coordinate the fabulous events in Athens on October 20th!).

Here is Lila's piece.

And here's a little teaser for you, too:  the Unchained Tour might be rollin' back through in a few months.  I know all those who attended round one will be back along with the hoards of people who weren't able to make it to the first show.  I'm very much looking forward to this!

The question you might have on your mind: why is there no storefront yet?

(File this under FAQs you've yet to utter.)

If you keep your ear to the ground in Athens and/or in the bookselling world, you know that I've been working towards opening Avid Bookshop for years now.  Perhaps I'm a touch paranoid, but I think it's not too crazy to assume that some of you are thinking, "WHY IN THE WORLD ISN'T THIS BOOKSTORE OPEN YET?"

Here, in a nutshell, are a few reasons why we have yet to move into a retail space:

1. Adieu, business partner. After working together for months, my business partner (and close friend) reevaluated things and decided that starting the bookstore business was not the best move for her just yet.  I spent a couple months figuring out a, if I wanted to open the store on my own, b, if I COULD open it on my own, and c, how her absence would change the bookstore plans (it changed a lot).

2. The economic crisis/slump/catastrophe/nightmare/problem-period.  This affected my own income (which I'm using to float myself during the first few years of business), my spending habits, and more.  On a less personal level, the crisis caused banks to completely rework their lending requirements, resulting in my being totally prepared for loans that no longer existed.  More on that at the end of this post.

3. Personal stuff.  I could go into more detail here, but suffice it to say that we were dealing with a lot at home in 2010.  Things are going well now and everyone is healthy, but for awhile there I had to totally hold off on finding a storefront because of a need to put my family first.

4. The introduction of new, friendly competition.  When a new bookstore moved to Athens in October, I was forced to look at my business plan in a different way, wanting to make sure that my plans & services complemented the city's other bookstores--I want each of our shops to be different enough that you want to spend time in all three indie stores.  Non-chain bookstores are as unique as their owners, after all. As someone who rearranges the furniture at least once a month, shifting my plans was a fun experiment, and I think you'll be pleased with the results.

5. The limited suitable retail space in my target neighborhood.  After a veritable drought, there may finally be some options along the Prince Avenue corridor, and I'm looking forward to opening up shop in a space that's accessible to all you Avid readers in Boulevard/Normaltown and the surrounding neighborhoods.  I don't want to jinx anything by saying much more.  As many retail store owners have told me time and time again, location is of the utmost importance, and waiting for the perfect (or near-perfect) spot is far better than opening in a place that won't suit my business.

6. I haven't exactly been twiddling my thumbs. Because I am addicted to biting off more than I can chew, and because I'm a sucker for anything related to Athens, books, community building, neighborhoods, and more, I've been keeping myself very busy with other projects as I wait for the perfect time to open the Avid Bookshop storefront. I've been running a successful bookstore business online (http://www.avidbookshop.com), organizing events (including my favorite one from October 2010!), hosting book clubs, and more.  I'm also on the board for We Are Athens (Buy Local), the Athens Regional Library, the Boulevard Neighborhood Association, and my condominium association. I have a few non-bookstore jobs, too:  I'm a regular contributor (writing about books and reading) to local publications Beyond the Trestle, the Athens Banner-Herald, and Athens Magazine.  I also have two other part-time jobs editing & writing, so those keep me occupied in the hours I'm not working on bookstore duties.

Hope that answers your burning questions!

In the meantime, I'm so grateful to those of you who've been shopping with me online (or at special sales, events, and markets).  I'm always here to give you book recommendations (it's my job, after all).

Please know I'm working hard to make sure that I bring to Athens a neighborhood, community-focused bookstore that suits YOUR needs.  Your patience and support mean so much to me as I continue on this journey.

-Janet Geddis
1/11/11

****
And, as promised above, here are some boring details about the economics of this, just in case you want to read my ramblings:

Turns out 2008 was one of the worst and best years to decide to launch a brand-new business.

The Good News about these last few years, economically speaking:
For many of us, the economic crisis led us to reevaluate our spending habits, our homes, and our communities.  The buy local movement is growing rapidly (locally, the We Are Athens initiative, an organization I am on the founding board of, is ramping up for a big year!), and people are spending their precious disposable income more carefully.  As megacorporations and big-box stores continually under-serve shoppers, well-run, independent businesses are taking the reins.

The Bad News about these last few years, economically speaking:
Starting a business from scratch in the best of economic times is hard enough; small business loans are hard to get, but banks have historically been willing to take a chance on young entrepreneurs.  This changed over the last couple of years, however.  As you're well aware, many banks have failed.  Those that remain have more stringent lending policies, especially as many of the loans they've granted are going unpaid by struggling or unprepared business owners or homeowners. As much as they want to help out local entrepreneurs, local banks cannot usually take the risk.  Which means those "surefire" loans I'd planned to get a few years ago all but dried up. No need to cry, though--I'm an inventive entrepreneur with a strong support system and a willingness to quickly accommodate to changes in the book industry and our town.

What I've been up to (or, Over the Moon Bookstore & Artisan Gallery opens soon in Crozet, VA)

Last week I flew to D.C., where my friend Anne DeVault picked me up and drove me back to her hometown of Charlottesville.  I'd met Anne and her sister Laura at Paz & Associates workshop retreat this past September ("How to Open a Bookstore:  The Business Essentials"), and we'd really hit it off.  Many emails and bookselling events later, here I was on their doorstep hoping to help them in any way they'd let me.  Sure, I sound very kind and good here--but consider what they were giving me.  The hands-on experience of preparing to open a bookstore is very different from reading about the same experience.  This week was invaluable, and I'm very grateful that these friends took me into their homes and bookstore.

The proprietors of Over the Moon Bookstore & Artisan Gallery (opening next month in Crozet, Virginia) are these wonderfully smart, funny, clever women who are really going to do well.  They've been kind enough to let me look at their business plan, their bookstore layout plans, and more--I've been impressed with how well they already know their target market and how many connections they're making to the book and art worlds of their region.  On my end, I was pretty pleased to become more familiar with a bookstore point of sale (POS) system, the long spreadsheets of recommended opening store inventory, how many choices must be made before bookshelves and fixtures can be built, and more.  Living the professional lives of these enterprising sisters for just a week was really enlightening (and lots and lots of fun). 

On the Saturday I arrived, May 15th, Laura & Anne invited some folks over to their freshly-painted-but-bookshelfless space in Crozet, a beautiful and hilly town about twenty miles from Charlottesville.  Over and over I heard people expressing their excitement about the store, their happiness that someone had the guts to do this, and their belief that this place is going to be a hit.

Congratulations to my friends! Can't wait to visit the store once its doors are open. 

In Which We Humbly Ask You to Help Avid in less than 5 minutes!

4 Quick Things to Help Avid 

Through free clicks, small donations, and formal investments, you'll help us get this project moving forward!

I humbly ask you to take a few minutes to explore the following ways to support Avid:
1. Vote for us in the Pepsi Refresh Everything Project grant contest
...& then SPREAD THE WORD!

Time: 2 minutes/day throughout April; Cost: $0

Pepsi is giving grants to individuals, businesses, and nonprofits once a month--we're up for a $50,000 grant that would (obviously) help us immensely! Throughout April, you can vote once a day. If our Facebook fans voted once a day all month, we'd exceed 16,000 votes! There's strength in numbers, and every little bit counts.

Don't feel like signing up through the Pepsi site? No problem. You can log in through your Facebook page by using this application: http://apps.facebook.com/pepsirefresh/

2. Say something nice about Avid Bookshop on Intuit's "Love a Local Business Page"
...& then SPREAD THE WORD!

Time: 3 minutes; Cost: $0

Intuit is choosing 5 small businesses per month to receive grants; the grand-prize winner will win a $30,000 grant! The more folks who nominate Avid by saying a couple of nice things, the more chances we have to win a grant.  For details, visit the Intuit site at http://lovealocalbusiness.intuit.com/fan?b_id=17114. (You can log in via Facebook by exploring the links in the bottom, right-hand corner of the Intuit page.)

3. Make a donation to us on IndieGoGo.com
...& then SPREAD THE WORD!

Time: 2 minutes; Cost: $1 - ? (any amount appreciated!)

IndieGoGo is a site where creators and entrepreneurs make project profiles explaining their vision, set a fundraising goal, and then raise money to help reach that goal.  There is no minimum donation!   Visit http://www.indiegogo.com/AvidBookshop and check out our amazing VIP perks.  Thanks to numerous friends and Athens businesses who've contributed great prizes for our donors at every level!

4. Let me know if you're interested in making a formal investment rather than (or in addition to) a donation.

Time to email: 2 minutes; Cost: TBD

I'm working with a local bank to create a community lending program whereby individuals can lend money to Avid Bookshop with the bank's help. (Entrepreneurs from Greenlight Bookstore in Brooklyn did this and I'm hoping to emulate them.) If you're interested in learning more, send me an email.

As always, THANK YOU. It's not the most comfortable thing to ask for assistance and money, but, as my writer friend Laurel Snyder says, "Everyone here wants to see new indies succeed. We understand you gotta work it."  Here's hoping you understand.

Have a lovely month of April--I hope that 30 days from now we'll be able to announce some very good news.

Our first public book sale!

This past Saturday, Jim helped me pack up much of my Avid inventory.  We got to the Flicker Theatre & Bar just in time to grab one of the last available selling spaces--the other merchants had definitely beat us there.  Turns out it took longer than I'd expected to stow 200+ books, tables, and a bookshelf in a '96 Maxima.  That being said, we got a prime spot alongside that trademark, two-toned wall and got to work.

Throughout the day, we met lots of new folks, encountered some people whose names we knew via the Internet but had never met in person, and of course chatted with many well-known friends and locals.  I'm happy to report that the sale was a smashing success:  even those who chose not to buy a book were thrilled to learn more about Athens's own community bookstore.  We passed out promotional postcards, got people to sign up for our newsletter, and sold a lot of books!

Here are a handful of photographs from the Flicker Holiday Market.  As usual, Blogger isn't cooperating with me as I try to add captions to the pictures, so I'll just tell you what's what here.  The first couple of shots are of our display. Then you'll find photos of me with Jim (my #1 Avid sidekick/helper/coworker/beau) and one of my talented friend Lauren Gallaspy with her husband Andy. I'll close out the collection with a snapshot of Baby Kringle & Ma and one of a half-hidden Kate Mikulka with Don Chambers in the foreground.  We were so busy talking to folks that we didn't get much of a chance to photograph the other vendors! From what I hear, everyone was pleased with his or her sales and we may have another market in the spring.  Special thanks to Kate Mikulka (of Mikulka Polish Foods) and the Flicker.

our setup

You can start buying books from us NOW!

In an effort to raise some start-up capital and to make sure our future brick & mortar store customers can find some cool holiday gifts for friends and family, I decided to launch a Biblio.com account for Avid Bookshop.  Biblio is a company dedicated to helping ONLY independent bookstores, which is a mission I certainly admire.

As more and more people donate books to our project, the collection of for-sale books grows and changes.  Please check back weekly to find out what books we've added to our collection.

For a limited time, I am offering FREE SHIPPING TO ANYWHERE IN THE U.S.!  This saves you approximately $3.50 if you buy one book.  (If you live in Athens, you can also ask me for personal delivery, which some customers have found convenient and faster than USPS delivery.)

So, without further ado, I now reveal to you the way you can buy books and support Athens's independent bookstore, Avid Bookshop!

1. Visit Avid Bookshop HERE.  This will allow you to view our current books in stock, as arranged by author last name.  You can use the drop-down menu or the menu on the left-hand margin to rearrange or filter the list of books.

2. Shop 'til you drop and then check out!  The free shipping is on me.

IF YOU ARE HAVING TROUBLE WITH THE SOMETIMES-CONFUSING BIBLIO.COM LAYOUT, FOLLOW THESE INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Visit Avid Bookshop's online bookstore here.


2. The homepage will look like this (see below).  To see Avid Bookshop's collection (which is ever-changing!), click the "search" button (see red arrow in picture below) without entering any search terms.

3. You can organize the bookstore's selections by author name, date added to the bookstore listings, title, and price by choosing from the drop down menu (see red arrow in screenshot below).

You can also filter the books by using the links on the left-hand side of the page (see blue arrow in screenshot below).  This search function allows you to search for only new books, only first editions, books in a certain price range, etc.

After making your selections, check out by paying using Biblio.com's secure online payment system.  As soon as your order is processed, Biblio sends me an email and lets me know which books you've requested.  I'll pack them up and get them to you quickly, and soon you'll have more great books to read.

Thank you for your time, and I hope to see your name on my Biblio order email soon!

If you're interested in donating books, please contact me via email.

Happy 35th Anniversary, Charis Books!

On Friday, November 6,  drove to Atlanta for one of the many events organized to celebrate Charis Books' 35th anniversary.  Charis is an independent feminist bookstore that has an amazing reputation for building community, creating stimulating conversation, and stocking wonderful books.  For this landmark anniversary, many well-known people came together as special guests to help celebrate.

It would have been pretty great to have been able to attend every event, but Friday was the only evening I had available.  And what an evening it was!  Entitled "Artists & Revolutionaries," Friday night's gathering at the Hillside International Truth Center in southwest Atlanta was quite phenomenal.  The camaraderie, good will, and spirit was nearly tangible--it's quite empowering to be in a room of book-loving feminists, that I must say.

Though I would have been interested in the event without any musical guests, it sure did help that my longtime favorite duo Indigo Girls played a short set of songs in the middle of the program.  I also learned more about the inimitable Pearl Cleage (who had some of the best stage presence of any writer I've ever heard read) and got to hear Alice Walker (Alice Walker!!) read just 20 feet from me.

Here are some photos from the event.  I'm sorry they're not formatted with captions--Blogger and I aren't working together so well at the moment, so I'm not able to move the photos around or edit captions.  From top to bottom, here's what you're seeing:

1. The Rev. Dr. Barbara King of Hillside International Truth Center welcomes everyone to her place and makes everyone feel warm and fuzzy inside (truly).
2.  Owners of Charis Books, Sara & Angela, welcoming the enthusiastic crowd.
3. Founder Linda introduces Alice Walker.
4. Pearl Cleage entertains us and wakes us up a bit, throwing out a call to action.
5 & 6. Indigo Girls play a short set in this intimate environment (a true fan's dream come true!).
7. Alice Walker reads us many poems (and simply glows in person). 


Were you there?  What did you think of the evening?

it's oh so quiet... (or, a behind-the-scenes glimpse)

Things have been quiet on the blog for the last week or so, I know--here's hoping you've not checked this page and worried about my slacking! Rest assured, my friends: I've been working like crazy on some cool developments.

Here are some things I've been up to:

1. I bought a CueCat. Now I'm able to scan the ISBNs off the used books I have for sale. As we speak, Biblio.com is deciding whether or not I'm worthy of an online "storefront." As soon as they give me the go ahead, I'll be able to send you a link to my 200 or so used books for sale. (I'm trying to generate some capital so I can get a website that will allow me to sell new books to you--books will go directly from the wholesaler's warehouse to your door!)

2. I've been meeting with folks who are interested in learning more about Avid Bookshop, including some who might eventually be formally involved with the store. Good news there!

3. My amazing designer friend Brandi created some logos for Avid! I've sent them out to a few folks and am getting wonderfully constructive feedback on them (and all the feedback is positive--Brandi's gifted, I tell you). Soon I'll get back to Brandi and she will create the final version of our sure-to-be-hip logo. (I promise you'll like it.)

4. Research, research, research.... I've been learning about other successful bookstores' inventive ideas; I've been working on version 542 of my business plan; I've been researching legal structures.

5. I've scheduled appointments to meet with business and accounting experts who will help me make some final decisions about Avid's business structure. I'll be filing for my formal business license with the Secretary of State as soon as next week! (Very exciting.)

6. Avid was mentioned in the Flagpole again (link forthcoming--as of this evening they haven't posted this week's news articles).

7. And of course there are tons of menial tasks I've been up to--adding to the soon-to-exist newsletter mailing list, trying to catch up on email, working with other booksellers, setting up an internship at another indie bookstore, and more, more, more.

8. Last but not least, I spent two days last weekend assuming different personalities.


So that's what's been going on behind the scenes here at Avid headquarters. Of course I've set aside time to read. Right now I'm reading the 1950s classic Betsy and the Great World & Betsy's Wedding by Maud Hart Lovelace--delightful! Before that I finished Michael Greenberg's Hurry Down Sunshine, a memoir about his teenaged daughter's mental breakdown.

New books & new friends at SIBA

This past weekend I ventured to Greenville, SC for the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance (SIBA) trade show.  Originally I'd planned on driving up super-early one morning only to return the same day--this would save me from spending hotel money but would also mean having to just pick one of several fun days to attend.  Turns out my fairy godmother (read:  very real biological mother) decided to come with me AND throw in dough for the hotel.  Score!

My mom's love of reading is probably the most predominant factor contributing to my complete and utter bookwormdom.  She has been a voracious reader since she was a young girl, and she holds degrees in English and book club management.  (So I'm inventing a second degree here--but hey, she's deserving of the title if anyone is.)  As I've changed my job plans frequently since graduating from college in 2002, it stands to reason that my parents might not be entirely ready to jump in full-force behind these bookstore plans.  But now that I've been planning Avid for two years and show no signs of slowing, I think they're beginning to understand that this is it.  This is for real.  So having my mom at SIBA with me was pretty great--she got to meet some of my real-life and virtual-life friends and got to pick up lots of ARCs (advanced reading copies), which is a thrill for any reader.

Janet, Mary Carol, & Marsha Wood

Robb Soriano

Among the real-life friends I got to reunite with were Marsha Wood and Robb Soriano from Ingram Book Company; Jef Blocker and Jeff McCord from Bound to Be Read Books; Charley Greiner from Baker & Taylor; and Laura and Anne Devault (sisters from Charlottesville, VA whom I met at the Paz & Associates training). 

There were several people whom I've emailed or tweeted with whose faces I'd never really seen. I'm happy to report that all were just as nice in person as they seem to be online. These folks included writers Laurel Snyder and Donny Seagraves as well as SIBA gurus Nicki Leone, Elton Porter,  and Wanda Jewell.  Of course it was lovely to finally meet online book industry folks in person: Rich Rennicks and Caroline Green of Malaprop's, Michael Hill (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt), Bob Gray (Shelf Awareness), and more. 

 Robert Jackson Bennett & Rhodi Hawk

 Mary Carol, Janet, & author Batt Humphreys

A few weeks before SIBA, I looked through the day-to-day schedule of the show and recognized very few author names.  Attending two Book Expo America shows taught me a valuable lesson, though:  not having heard of many names on the program is not a bad thing at all.  In fact, it's a thrill to walk into a trade show on a Thursday with a program chock full of strangers' names and leave on Saturday having met (and acquired signed books of) many of those authors.  Now I'm thrilled to have a staggering new collection of books I can't wait to read.  Some books I'm most excited about include those of authors that appeared at two panels I attended:  the "Got Us Shaking in our Boots Author Panel" and the "Writing the South" panel.  I'm not a big thriller/suspense reader, but when I met the gracious and funny Robert Jackson Bennett at a mixer hosted by Fiction Addiction, I decided to support him by attending the panel he'd be taking part in.  And am I glad I did--it turns out I am interested in suspenseful, scary books (at least the ones presented by this collection of authors). 

Jenny and her mom, author Donny Seagraves

chef/author Ted Lee and author Laurel Snyder

Mary Carol with Jeff & Jeff of Bound to Be Read Books

Now if only I could freeze time and spend the next couple of months reading the 40+ books I acquired in the last few weeks.  Sigh.

What new (or new to you) books are you excited about reading?

Booksellers School next week!

Let's face it:  I'm one of those people who loves school.  I love teachers and projects and homework and scribbling in those little blue exam books.  Shopping for new office supplies is one of my favorite activities, and my desk drawers, all full of pencils, pens, cutesy erasers, markers, crayons, and notebooks, show it.

I'm not planning on returning to traditional school, but who knows--maybe in 20 years I'll change my mind.  At this point, I have enough Avid-related homework to last me the next couple of decades.  Every day there's something I could be doing--talking to other booksellers, working on the business plan, attending conferences, learning about software, meeting with my real estate agent, talking with potential partners, creating marketing plans, you name it.

The newest project I'm undertaking?  Paz & Associates Booksellers School in Fernandina Beach, FL.   I've been acquainted with Mark Kaufman at the company for over a year now and have been really impressed with how open, helpful, and resourceful he is.  At first I decided to skip the five-day workshop ("Opening a Bookstore:  The Business Essentials"), opting instead to purchase Paz & Associate's book instead.  And while I've learned a lot in my three or four readings of this huge volume, I'm frequently told by fellow booksellers that nothing beats the in-person workshop.  I kept trying to peek underneath the surface, trying to see if there was any subtext to people's compliments, trying to figure out what the catch was--were all these booksellers really as enamored of Paz & Associates as they'd seemed?

Yep.  As of a few months ago, I still hadn't heard a negative thing about the company's training sessions, so I bit the bullet and signed up for the workshop.  And my nerdy student self could not be more excited.  Yes, some of the information we encounter during the workshop will be familiar to me already, but this is a positive thing:  I want to get to where lots of this stuff is second nature, so it stands to reason that I need to know it really, really well.

This student is excited about getting school supplies ready and heading down to Florida for the workshop.  There I'll meet other prospective booksellers (it's true that I'm not the only crazy one--lots of indie bookstores have been popping up over the last few years and they keep on comin'!) and spend five days in my own little book world.

Declaration of Indiebound

Some of you have heard of IndieBound before, but still more of you have not. IndieBound is a program launched in 2008 to help bring together independent businesses and those who love them: bookstores, readers, independent business alliances, locally-owned shops, etc., etc. It has been met with great success, and Avid Bookshop will be proud to post the Declaration of IndieBound as well as the well-crafted IndieBound signs in the store.

This is of particular interest to me, as I'm the newly-appointed secretary of the yet-to-be-named Buy Local Athens program that is being launched. I'm really interested in sustainability and shopping local first, so IndieBound is right up my alley.

Take a look at the website to see if you can find any favorite IndieBound shops near you! Joining IndieBound as an individual is a fun way to explore independent shops you might never have heard of before.

In the meantime, watch the video below to watch some well-known (at least in our world!) indie booksellers reading the Declaration of IndieBound aloud.

exciting things afoot!

Well, kids, there's a lot going on but I'm not at liberty to tell you much about it at this point. I feel like a little kid who's just been told a bunch of amazing secrets but was sworn to secrecy. Granted, the updates we've had over here at Avid HQ aren't earth-shattering, but when your lifelong dream is progressing even more excitingly and smoothly than you'd dreamt, you certainly are apt to jump up and down and want to give the scoop to every passerby.

BUT. But. I shall remain mum until I know for sure what's what and what the next step in the plan is. Rest assured I'll keep you updated as soon as it's proper for me to do so.

Avid Bookshop survey 1

Hello there! We're glad you found us. We have been planning our bookstore for many months and know you're in for a treat. Avid Bookshop will be a general interest bookstore in Athens, Georgia. We'll sell new and used books as well as an eclectic variety of cards, crafts, artwork, and gifts. A dedicated percentage of non-book items will be made by local artisans.

Avid will also host lots of community events, including author readings, children's story times, debates, cook-offs, etc. We plan on being a community center focused on literacy, learning, and discussion.

Filling out this one-page initial survey will help us know who out there might be ready and willing to lend us a hand to make this dream a reality.

Soon we'll be contacting you to ask what you want from Avid Bookshop, YOUR neighborhood bookstore.

Thanks so much for your help!