Festivities began yesterday at Inkwood Books in Tampa, Fla., which is making merry for its 20th anniversary with a bonanza for customers. Every day from November 1-20 a different special is being featured, with drawings and sales in various categories.
The extravaganza concludes the weekend of America Unchained! Day, the American Independent Business Alliance-sponsored initiative reminding shoppers "that as they're doing their holiday spending to try and keep the money in their own community," said Inkwood co-owner Carla Jimenez.
Foot traffic has been down this year at Inkwood Books, although there was an upswing in October. An increase in business has come from catering books at off-site gatherings, including a lecture by Deepak Chopra earlier this month that drew several hundred fans. (His latest is War of the Worldviews: Science vs. Spirituality with Leonard Mlodinow.) "We've done twice as many of these events in the last two months as we typically do in a two-month period," noted Jimenez. "These kinds of things, what I call the back-door sales, help to keep the front door open."
Current in-store bestsellers coincide with some of the dozen titles on the staff picks display, among them Chad Harbach's The Art of Fielding, Edward J. Delaney's Broken Irish, Paul Murray's Skippy Dies and Lily Tuck's I Married You for Happiness, one of Jimenez's choices. The employee favorites are heavily promoted on the store's website and Facebook page.
In December, the staff recommendations section features 25 titles hand-selected for gift-giving. Everything from cookbooks to kids' books and even suggested tomes for non-readers are already wrapped and discounted. Jimenez is planning to highlight NBC correspondent Patricia Rossi's Everyday Etiquette: How to Navigate 101 Common and Uncommon Social Situations. Whether given to teenagers or new employees, "it's something that would be a cool gift for a lot of people," said Jimenez.
Tampa resident Michael Connelly's The Drop is expected to be a customer favorite this season, along with offerings from South Florida authors James W. Hall (Dead Last) and Tim Dorsey (When Elves Attack: A Joyous Christmas Greeting from the Criminal Nutbars of the Sunshine State). Ernest Cline's futuristic novel Ready Player One is building buzz, and so is former Tampa mayor Pam Iorio's forthcoming memoir Straightforward: Ways to Live and Lead.
The last two decades operating an independent bookstore "haven't been easy," said Jimenez. "We know that not only bookstores but every other locally owned business is a challenge these days. We're very, very grateful and cognizant of how fortunate we are to be here after 20 years." --Shannon McKenna Schmidt
The extravaganza concludes the weekend of America Unchained! Day, the American Independent Business Alliance-sponsored initiative reminding shoppers "that as they're doing their holiday spending to try and keep the money in their own community," said Inkwood co-owner Carla Jimenez.Foot traffic has been down this year at Inkwood Books, although there was an upswing in October. An increase in business has come from catering books at off-site gatherings, including a lecture by Deepak Chopra earlier this month that drew several hundred fans. (His latest is War of the Worldviews: Science vs. Spirituality with Leonard Mlodinow.) "We've done twice as many of these events in the last two months as we typically do in a two-month period," noted Jimenez. "These kinds of things, what I call the back-door sales, help to keep the front door open."
Current in-store bestsellers coincide with some of the dozen titles on the staff picks display, among them Chad Harbach's The Art of Fielding, Edward J. Delaney's Broken Irish, Paul Murray's Skippy Dies and Lily Tuck's I Married You for Happiness, one of Jimenez's choices. The employee favorites are heavily promoted on the store's website and Facebook page.
In December, the staff recommendations section features 25 titles hand-selected for gift-giving. Everything from cookbooks to kids' books and even suggested tomes for non-readers are already wrapped and discounted. Jimenez is planning to highlight NBC correspondent Patricia Rossi's Everyday Etiquette: How to Navigate 101 Common and Uncommon Social Situations. Whether given to teenagers or new employees, "it's something that would be a cool gift for a lot of people," said Jimenez.
Tampa resident Michael Connelly's The Drop is expected to be a customer favorite this season, along with offerings from South Florida authors James W. Hall (Dead Last) and Tim Dorsey (When Elves Attack: A Joyous Christmas Greeting from the Criminal Nutbars of the Sunshine State). Ernest Cline's futuristic novel Ready Player One is building buzz, and so is former Tampa mayor Pam Iorio's forthcoming memoir Straightforward: Ways to Live and Lead.
The last two decades operating an independent bookstore "haven't been easy," said Jimenez. "We know that not only bookstores but every other locally owned business is a challenge these days. We're very, very grateful and cognizant of how fortunate we are to be here after 20 years." --Shannon McKenna Schmidt