Book Club Bar

Book Club Bar - Bookseller-- Part Time

At Book Club Bar, our bookseller role is the customer-facing front line of the store’s weekend bookselling operations.

This person will assist the booktenders and supervisor on duty with bar and bookselling operations. This position is ideal for individuals who thrive in a fast-paced environment, are proactive, and highly adaptable to the changing needs of a bookstore and bar.

Essential Bookselling Duties:

• Handselling books to customers: make recommendations based on their tastes, interests, or requests
• Help customers locate inventory and make comparative suggestions when we do not have a title in stock
• Maintain organization of the shelves and displays, including rotating seasonal displays and monthly staff picks
• Design, print, and change out shelf talkers as books sell (additionally: keep an organized inventory of shelf talkers, following up with booktenders to make sure all staff members choices are represented on the shelves)
• Collect monthly staff book picks into ordering document for book buyer
• Collect staff picks for the website and update as needed
• Explain and sell Libro.fm memberships
• Promote upcoming author events and store book clubs
• Maintain organized ARC shelves, rotating out already pubbed titles for donation
• Maintain a working knowledge of current and upcoming titles
• Suggest titles for stock based on upcoming films, trends, cultural touchpoints
• Use of Edelweiss to review and explore upcoming titles, as well as various ABA resources

Essential Operational Duties:

• Welcome guests and explain our business model to newcomers (purchase requirements, books are for sale, etc.)
• Crowd control (keep people off the floor and stairwell, etc.)
• Back up booktenders when needed, provide coverage for bathroom breaks, etc.
• Keep the store, shelves, and inventory clean
• Loss prevention

Qualifications and Skills:

• Demonstrated bookselling experience
• Demonstrated understanding of the current state of publishing, bookselling, and the tastes and needs of our community
• In depth knowledge of new releases and backlist titles
• Ability to recall books by title, author, and cover
• Highly personable and willing to engage with the public
• Strong communication and people skills
• Ability to anticipate needs, be proactive, multi-task, and adapt as the needs of the store develop or change
• Maturity and ability to be self-sufficient
• Availability for weekends, occasional evenings, and holidays to align with store needs

Extra consideration will be given to individuals with previous experience in hospitality. Extra consideration given to individuals with experience of Bookmanager and/or Canva programs.

All applicants should understand that being a bookseller requires some manual labor: stairs, lifting boxes, carrying, and standing for the entire shift.

$23/hour, two weekend shifts per week. Benefits for part-time employees include a store discount, access to free advance copies of books, audiobooks, and professional growth opportunities. Paid holidays and paid sick leave. Option to contribute to 401k account after 3 months of employment.

To apply, please submit a resume and brief introduction to info@bookclubbar.com.

Book Club Bar is a hybrid bookstore and full service espresso and cocktail bar, serving the East Village community of Manhattan since 2019.