Literary Arts

Bookstore Manager and Lead Buyer

Location: Portland, OR (In Person)

Position Category: Full time, Regular

Employee Type: Salaried, Exempt

Reports to: Managing Director

Store Hours: Monday to Sunday 10 a.m.- 8 p.m. (Hours may vary)

Work Schedule: Varied; 40 hr./week

Salary: $65,000/year

Literary Arts is looking for an experienced Bookstore Manager and Lead Buyer to manage the bookstore at our multifunction literary center. Our 14,000-square-foot facility (716 SE Grand Ave.) serves as our organizational headquarters with the bookstore occupying the ground floor (2,000 selling square feet). In concert with our programming and the café, the bookstore serves as a place where readers, writers, and literary fans come to gather for book launches, author readings, and a variety of community events. The successful candidate will manage the store, be the lead buyer, and work with the Managing Director and with Literary Arts senior leadership.

The Position:

The Bookstore Manager and Lead Buyer will create and maintain a positive work environment for bookstore staff as well as a welcoming experience for customers. As the Bookstore Manager and Lead Buyer, you will ensure successful store operations by curating an exciting and missionaligned selection of books, hiring and training the bookstore team, working with the café team to create memorable customer experiences, and collaborating with the programming staff to support and grow the thriving community of readers, writers, and youth that Literary Arts serves. Working with the Senior Director of Finance, this role has overall financial accountability for profitability and growth of the store, operational and inventory control, and oversight ensuring the bookstore’s financial health. The Bookstore Manager and Lead Buyer will work with the Marketing team to ensure effective promotion and advertising of the store to reach a broad audience that creates a loyal customer base as well as attracting new customers to the institution.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Team Management:
• Create and maintain a positive work environment for staff.
• Financial Growth: Lead sound business practices for the bookstore through its curation and buying initiatives.
• Delegate responsibilities to staff to maintain the bookstore’s sound business practices. o Hire, train, and develop bookstore staff of five booksellers. Responsibilities described below can be shared with future hires and across departments as appropriate.
• Coordinate bookstore staff schedules and meetings to accommodate booksellers who have additional tasks like marketing and event management initiatives.
• Transparency: Communicate to both staff and senior leadership team general knowledge regarding bookstore operations.
• Oversee staff evaluation, in tandem with the Managing Director; responsible for payroll submission and ensuring compliance with HR policies.
• Cross-department collaboration: In conjunction with the café, the bookstore team will interact with Literary Arts constituents participating in classes, meetings, or other activities in the building.
• Store Operations:
• Ensure bookstore meets revenue targets and sales goals.
• Continue to create, adapt, and implement sound business systems for store operations.
• Oversee bookstore events with staff and as needed.
• Oversee the maintenance of operational systems including POS and bookstore portion of website.
• Serve as a role model in creating a welcoming space for both customers and community gatherings.
• Participate in and lead cross-department initiatives.
• Attend trade shows and represent the bookstore in professional gatherings.
• Report sales to relevant outlets (PNBA, New York Times, etc.). o Ensure that internal financial reporting is met weekly, monthly, quarterly and annually.
• Inventory & Merchandising Control:
• Lead Buyer for frontlist buying and stock replenishment; as Lead Buyer, curate a selection of books that reach a broad audience.
• Cultivate and steward relationships with sales representatives and publishers and establish and maintain new relationships.
• Ensure merchandise is received in a timely manner.
• Oversee and delegate to staff prompt merchandising and rotation of display spaces.
• Manage inventory count and shrink, order store supplies.
• Maintain paperwork, receipts, and all necessary documentation in order to successfully pass audits as well as to calculate financial projections.

Experience & Requirements:

We will consider any combination of relevant work experience, volunteering, education, and transferable skills as qualifying. Please be clear and specific about how your background is relevant.

• At least three years of experience managing a bookstore.
• At least three years of book buyer experience from either a large-scale bookstore or medium-scale bookstore.
• Strong knowledge of budget development and management principles including retail sales principles, understanding P&L, general ledger practices, and literate with sales projections.
• Experience developing and working within a buying budget.
• Experience in hiring and training retail staff
• Available to work nights, weekends, and some holidays as required.
• Ability to interact with people with diverse backgrounds.
• Strong interpersonal skills and a passion for building relationships with customers, vendors, and team members.
• Compassionate and respectful management/conflict resolution skills.
• Experience with Bookmanager Point of Sale (POS) system or another bookstore-specific computer management system a plus.

Qualities:

• Commitment to literature and its place in our society.
• Desire to communicate and collaborate with your team and cross-departmentally.
• Comfortable in an environment that acknowledges, encourages, and celebrates differences.
• Confidence in learning and training in technology.
• Strong attention to detail.
• Demonstrated ability to appropriately manage highly confidential information.
• Creative problem-solving aptitude.
• Commitment to the mission of Literary Arts.
• Dedication to creating accessible spaces.

Job Conditions and Benefits:

Literary Arts currently pays for health, dental, and vision coverage for each full-time employee, and offers a 401K program with employer match. Literary Arts also fully pays for short- and long-term disability insurance. All full-time employees begin with three weeks of paid vacation time, which increases to five weeks after five years of employment. We also provide three additional paid Personal Days off, in addition to observing approximately twelve paid holidays. As a registered nonprofit, the organization qualifies for public service loan forgiveness. Information on additional benefits is available upon request.

Store/Office Layout: The ground floor of this three-story building is a retail space (bookstore/café) and open to the public. The Bookstore Manager’s office is on this floor. The receiving area will be in the workroom at the lower level. Retail staff also have access to staff areas including a bike room, ADA shower, wellness room, and the open office space on the second floor with a shared breakroom, huddle room, and hoteling workstations.

Equipment Used: Bookmanager POS on PCs (desktop and laptop) with scanner, label printer, receipt printer, and cash drawer; copier/printer, postage machine, and other standard office equipment.

Physical Demands: This position is regularly required to sit and stand, push and pull with force (and is occasionally required to climb and stoop), reach with hands and arms, and use hand to finger controls. The employee may regularly lift and/or move up to 30 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, and peripheral vision as well as reading written, printed, or computer screen data.

Application Information

To apply, please submit your resume and cover letter to applications@literary-arts.org with the subject line “Bookstore Manager.” We will begin formally reviewing applications on May 19, 2025.

After you submit your application materials, you will be invited to participate in a voluntary survey. Literary Arts is committed to DEI initiatives, and data collected from these surveys allows us to measure and show the progress we are making in a concrete way. Literary Arts is committed to creating a diverse, inclusive, and equitable environment for our employees and volunteers. We welcome applicants from diverse backgrounds and experiences. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. For more information about Literary Arts, visit www.literary-arts.org.

Literary Arts is a community-based nonprofit arts organization located in Portland, Oregon. Our mission is to engage readers, support writers, and inspire the next generation with great literature. Our programs create opportunities for readers and writers of all ages and walks of life to engage with stories. We provide programs in concert halls, classrooms, our community space, and on the radio. Literary Arts is committed to remaining a dynamic and responsive organization that will continue to evolve with our community’s needs and deepen our equity work across all our programs.