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     | Wednesday, April 03, 2002 - 06:21 pm  Okay, my sister and I are discussing opening a bookstore. She has the money and I have the "passion" as she calls it. We just don't either one have much sense.  Anyway, does anyone have any experience in this field? Would anyone, experienced or not, like to offer any advice? We are on a rapidly growing side of town. And the nearest chaing bookstore is about 20 miles away. The nearest independent bookstore is in another town. Anyway, they are expecting something like 100,000+ people to move into our "neighborhood" in the next couple of years, so we think we may have a really good idea. But being the realist/pessimist I am, I realize that most businesses go under within so many years and the first couple years may be lean. So keep your dire warnings to a minimum. And tell me what you know about how to connect with Ingrams and distributors, etc. Gloria
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| | Wednesday, April 03, 2002 - 07:02 pm Gloria, I know I have at least one bookstore owner on the children's writer's list...I could post your request there with your email and get plenty of feedback to help you with this. Let me know if you want me to -- okay? Jan
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| | Wednesday, April 03, 2002 - 07:05 pm Gloria, Something you might consider, as bookstores are not always high profit businesses, is having a combination shop. Book store/coffee shop perhaps? I have seen some of these, and I actually prefer this style of bookstore to the traditional books/mags/papers only store. Maybe that's because that would constitute a lunch break for me, or a sanity break from the kids. Don't short yourself on space--both display space and storage, the lack of either of which can cause problems. Make sure you choose a good location, which means...talk to the people who are "expecting something like 100,000+ people to move" into the neighborhood, find out exactly where potential major shopping centers will be located, where possible competition might be likely to spring up,....and if you're lucky enough, you'll be able to get the gossip as to businesses who are talking about coming to the area and map your plans around and including them. Yes, the first couple of years can be very lean. But when you consider the enjoyment (ignoring the headaches) of being around what you love...the thought of liking your job... I think you get the picture. Keep very accurate books, and make sure to keep all business monies separate from any personal spending. This is what causes many businesses to fail early on. Use networking to your advantage. For example, one of the first things my new boss did was to contact one of the local florists and arrange for fresh flowers to be delivered every single Monday. In exchange, we give them a specified amount of advertising space. And the arrangements get to go home with employees on Friday, so everyone wins. Let that imagination wander for a while to come up with possible networks that you can use to your advantage. Best wishes, and good luck. LA
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| | Wednesday, April 03, 2002 - 07:44 pm Gloria, You can call Ingrams and ask for a retail seller's package. They will send you all the info you need to get set up with them. I did this a few months ago. They will want a lot of info from you before approving you but if your heart's in this, it will be worth it. By the way, Ingrams is on the net and you can get the number for this info from the net, that's what I did. smiles and blessings, Kitty
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| | Wednesday, April 03, 2002 - 08:38 pm Thank You!!!! Jan, my e-mail is gloriam8@yahoo.com Laurie, I love that idea! We think we have a good place picked out. It's a central location now, and I think it will continue to be. But we need to find out how much the lease payment would be and look around a little more. Nancy Marie, are you a retail seller? That is great information! Thanks again! Gloria
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| | Thursday, April 04, 2002 - 06:55 am Gloria, No, I am not a retail seller, I just wanted to look into it to see what it would take to become one. Mostly, I wanted to see if I could sign-up to become one so I could buy my own books at the Ingrams discounted price. Didn't qualify though, they won't sign you up unless you agree to a bunch of stuff I couldn't agree with, i.e. ordering at least $10,000 a year in books, stuff like that. smiles and blessings, Kitty
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