Wild Meadows Books & Cafe

Wild Meadows Books and Café, a new retail business opening soon in Williston, Vermont, is looking for an enthusiastic leader to join our team as the Assistant Manager for Children’s Merchandise and Programming. We’re seeking an individual with extensive knowledge of children’s literature to lead the development and refinement of our programming and book and non-book merchandise offerings for pre-school kids through young adults. Help us bring the joy of stories, reading and learning to children of all ages. 

This is a unique opportunity to be highly involved at the start of an enterprise, helping to bring to life our vision of a vibrant, inclusive place for discovery and community connection.

Essential Duties 

Book Buying and Merchandising

• Serve as primary buyer of books for children through young adult, including backlist and frontlist titles.
• Collaborate with non-book merchandise buyer to evaluate, select and monitor sales of non-book items.
• Manage inventory budget and turns to optimize profitability.
• Lead creation of displays and overall organization of merchandise in children’s section of the store.

 Children’s Programming

• Lead the development and execution of children’s programming within the store, ranging from regular story times to special author events and other creative ideas. 
• Seek out opportunities to collaborate with external organizations, such as schools and libraries, to expand our reach with children and families. 

Sales and Marketing

• Pursue and manage special orders and bulk sales.
• Work with marketing manager and other team members to promote sales of children’s merchandise. 
• Serve as lead bookseller for the children’s section, actively engaging in bookselling and coaching other booksellers in providing outstanding, friendly service for customers. 
• Maintain accurate POS data. Utilize POS data to optimize business functions and decisions.

Collaboration and Continuous Learning

• Engage in continuous learning and stay abreast of industry trends, book releases, etc. to identify opportunities and recommend changes.
• Participate in regular team meetings to plan, set goals, and align on upcoming events and promotions. 
• Attend training sessions, including cross-training with other store functions.

Other Duties

• Directly manage website and social media content.
• Provide personal written book recommendations for display in store and on the website.
• Perform cleaning functions within the store.
• Carry out café-related functions.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in related field – such as education, literature or library science – or equivalent work experience.
• Professional experience engaging with young people in a school, library or retail setting.
• Demonstrated knowledge of and interest in children’s literature, including awareness of current trends.
• Experience in a bookstore or other retail setting a plus.
• Ability to coach and mentor.
• Experience with bookstore POS systems, as well as business IT and software platforms.
• Understanding of business financial operations and reporting; Strong analytical skills.
• Enthusiasm for providing exceptional customer service and the ability to create a strong service environment.
• Excellent interpersonal, verbal and written communication skills.
• Confidence to work independently, take initiative and collaborate as an effective team member.
• Ability to adjust quickly to changing priorities and conditions.
• Flexibility to work some evenings, weekends, events and holidays as part of a 7-day-per-week operation.
• Ability to stand and walk for extended periods. 
• Ability to lift or assist with lifting boxes of up to 40 pounds. 

Salary and Benefits

• Salary $40-46,000, dependent on experience
• Healthcare benefits
• Paid time off, including vacation and sick leave
• Professional development opportunities
• Generous employee discount

Wild Meadows Books & Cafe, opening in early 2026, is an independent bookstore and gathering place designed to feed a love of books and foster community connection. Like a wild meadow, a great bookshop teems with life and beauty and stories, ready to be discovered. We're seeking individuals to join our team who are passionate about sharing their love of books and creating a welcoming space for lingering and learning.