I just started reading the book, The Great Neighborhood Book. There are alot of great ideas in it to make a neighborhood be a friendly & awesome place to live, hangout, & raise a family.
According to the book, they believe in the Power of Ten. Meaning, that if there are at least ten things you can do in a particular spot, it will likely become a popular destination for people in the neighborhood (pg 36).
So this makes me think (even though today is my day off & I'm trying not to think!), what things can we do to make Reading Frenzy BookShop a great place to be in Zimmerman? Well, off the top of my head I can think of a couple, but I need everyone's help with this. What kinds of things do you see in a neighborhood bookstore that would make you keep coming back & tell all your friends about? Seriously, I want your input! Don't be shy! I love to hear people's ideas.
A couple of things I can think of are:
1) The adjoining door/easy access to Dunn Bros. The greatest coffee shop on earth (not to mention their extremely fantastic staff).
2) Our unique kid's area. (Can't publicly tell all the secrets of this one now), but kids are going to want to come here to hangout, find, & read their favorite books. Incidentally, one of my favorite things is to pick out kid's books! Zack, my son, just loves for me to read to him these great finds! (No wait, that isn't exactly true anymore... he's 21 yrs old! I do try to read to him. But he just rolls his eyes at me : ) )
3) Awesome Events - author signings, activities, book clubs, discussions. I have a background in Event Planning & this is going to be so much fun!!!
4) Should have had this first! The books! We will have popular books & unique books that you might not see elsewhere. This is the fun part of the job... finding books that our special customers are going to love to read. Independent Bookstores have great freedom in choosing books that may not be seen on the New York Bestseller List. Trust me, there are ALOT of books & authors out there that are awesome that just need some exposure.
5) We are going to have local/regional authors, books, artists, & other products that are locally grown, so to speak. From MN & around. Let's face it... Minnesotans are unique! The place we live in is unique. Reading Frenzy is going to feature many of these local talents. I'm excited about it! I've told several people & reps this week... RFB is looking for the unique, not necessarily the most popular.
6) Spectacular custumer service! Knowing product, customizing book orders, helping people find the perfect book, & listening to customers needs will help us stand out. Old fashioned hospitality will be at the forefront. (All those years of greeting & welcoming people into church will pay off here!)
7) Atmosphere. RFB will be a comfortable place to hangout, enjoy some outstanding candies, sip your white mocha latte with raspberry coffee from Dunnies (Mike's favorite), meet your friends, and find a great new book to take home.
8)Product line. In the book business they call them sidelines. Basically anything you sell outside of books. Oh, you will love the stuff we have picked out!
9) New, used, & sale books. You'll find new books to purchase, gently-used books, & used books that are a little more worn - different choices for different needs.
10)...... Let me know what else will make Reading Frenzy BookShop a special place to be in Zimmerman!
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Daily Planet Article
This article was in the Twin Cities Daily Planet. It talks about all that indie bookstores bring to a community & economy. They site Red Balloon Bookstore in Mpls. After their events there is an increase & rush at a local bakery. I hope that we can do this for Zimmerman. It's a great place!
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Many, many details!
This is going to be a busy summer! So many details to take care of, but all good. This coming week we meet with the landlord, Matt, & his architect to get the ball rolling. We have some adjoining space so we have to figure out what will work for both sides. We will be having an adjoining door with Dunn Bros! Yea! So people can get their book & coffee fix at the same time - all in one convenient stop in Zimmerman!
I am currently filling out all the publishers & distributer forms to open accounts. This is extremely exciting & at the same time makes my head go crazy! I also am deciding on what other product we will carry. For those familiar with us so far, you know that RFB will have books but also many unique items: old fashioned candies, games, t-shirts, local artisans, etc. Unique things that you may not find elsewhere. We also are trying to connect with local artists & musicians to incorporate them into this new community bookstore.
One other thing that I am working on is Book Clubs. We want this to be a place where groups can meet & share the love of reading! I keep saying it... "So many books, so little time!" If I could read all the great books that I've found over the last year... well it would be heaven! If you would like to head up a book club for your friends or open to the public, let me know. There will be a discount when you purchase your book through us & we can try to arrange space for you & if is open to the public we can put it on our store calendar.
I'm also working on opening events. This is EXCITING!!!! Those who know me, know that I love to plan events. Which is perfect for a bookstore. Other retailers don't do this type of thing on a regular basis, but bookstore owners thrive on it. Things in the works: Several author signings & a Skype author visit with an animal rescuer. Hopefully this can be arranged for our soft opening. in Sept.
We also are working on the details for decorating the store. Colors, flooring, rugs, kid's area, lighting, signs, ... oh the list goes on!!!!! Where will book genres go best in the store. Special feature book areas. I love all this stuff! And of course picking out all the books for people to love. Indies (independent bookstores) are known for having unique books. Things you may not see if you went to one of the chains or department stores. We have the ability to hand pick our books for our customers. We specialize in excellent customer service, knowing our customers & our product, & helping you find the perfect book or gift! Try to do that with a 'Big Box" associate stocking shelves!
Mike is working on the inventory system, figuring out our accounting system & helping me so I can bounce the million or two ideas off of him that I have going in my head all at once! And keeping me balanced. He is so awesome! I am so blessed to have him alongside of me. How did I get so lucky?
Thank you all for your support. We can't do this without you! Just to let you know, we are still in need of ALOT of gently-used books of any genre. We can arrange pickup. If you have a few or many or if a family member or friend of yours would like to donate, please pass it along. If you see a garage sale with alot of books or craigslist or auction, let me know!
Have a great week & stay tuned for more adventures as the bookstore unfolds!
I am currently filling out all the publishers & distributer forms to open accounts. This is extremely exciting & at the same time makes my head go crazy! I also am deciding on what other product we will carry. For those familiar with us so far, you know that RFB will have books but also many unique items: old fashioned candies, games, t-shirts, local artisans, etc. Unique things that you may not find elsewhere. We also are trying to connect with local artists & musicians to incorporate them into this new community bookstore.
One other thing that I am working on is Book Clubs. We want this to be a place where groups can meet & share the love of reading! I keep saying it... "So many books, so little time!" If I could read all the great books that I've found over the last year... well it would be heaven! If you would like to head up a book club for your friends or open to the public, let me know. There will be a discount when you purchase your book through us & we can try to arrange space for you & if is open to the public we can put it on our store calendar.
I'm also working on opening events. This is EXCITING!!!! Those who know me, know that I love to plan events. Which is perfect for a bookstore. Other retailers don't do this type of thing on a regular basis, but bookstore owners thrive on it. Things in the works: Several author signings & a Skype author visit with an animal rescuer. Hopefully this can be arranged for our soft opening. in Sept.
We also are working on the details for decorating the store. Colors, flooring, rugs, kid's area, lighting, signs, ... oh the list goes on!!!!! Where will book genres go best in the store. Special feature book areas. I love all this stuff! And of course picking out all the books for people to love. Indies (independent bookstores) are known for having unique books. Things you may not see if you went to one of the chains or department stores. We have the ability to hand pick our books for our customers. We specialize in excellent customer service, knowing our customers & our product, & helping you find the perfect book or gift! Try to do that with a 'Big Box" associate stocking shelves!
Mike is working on the inventory system, figuring out our accounting system & helping me so I can bounce the million or two ideas off of him that I have going in my head all at once! And keeping me balanced. He is so awesome! I am so blessed to have him alongside of me. How did I get so lucky?
Thank you all for your support. We can't do this without you! Just to let you know, we are still in need of ALOT of gently-used books of any genre. We can arrange pickup. If you have a few or many or if a family member or friend of yours would like to donate, please pass it along. If you see a garage sale with alot of books or craigslist or auction, let me know!
Have a great week & stay tuned for more adventures as the bookstore unfolds!
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