Although she wonders if it's an anomaly, Lisa Baudoin, manager and
buyer at Main Street Books, Pella, Iowa, said, "Things are going well.
We had a good day on the day after Thanksgiving, and sales were up on
Saturday, too." A good part of the business is for Christmas, she continued. "We're
wrapping a lot of books already."
Among the reasons for the good cheer at Main Street: the Midwest Booksellers Association catalogue (Baudoin, an MBA board member, admitted to being deeply involved in its creation) has gotten "a really good response," in part because of the brilliant execution behind it but also because Main Street Books sold space on the inside cover to local businesses to promote local shopping. ("We've all been very involved in that fight," she commented.) In addition, the store rented mailing lists and sent catalogues to more people than usual, particularly to residents of smaller towns outside Pella where the store has "good customers" whose names it doesn't know.
Also, after Kate Bearce bought the store a little over a year ago and became involved in day-to-day operations (contrasting with the previous owner's hands-off approach), the store has been able to do book groups and other events.
Altogether the efforts have helped raise the profile of Main Street Books. "We've been here six years, and finally people are catching on," Baudoin said. While common wisdom is to advertise heavily in the first year after a store opens and then back off, with today's intense competition, "you can't ever back off," she continued. "You have to remind people constantly that you are there and have the books."
In a related vein, several weeks ago Main Street Books held another annual open house for top customers. (Most are invited on the basis of sales, but "we sneak in a few other favorites," Baudoin said.) The store invited about 50 people, closed its doors that evening, offered 20% off on purchases and cooked food from three cookbooks: The Silver Spoon from Phaidon Press, Chocolate Holidays: Unforgettable Desserts for Every Season by Alice Medrich and A Baker's Tour: Nick Malgieri's Favorite Baking Recipes from Around the World. "Cookbooks are a great gift, and when you cook from them, it's a great way to push them," Baudoin commented. The event also allowed "us to get to good customers and talk to them. It increases contact time and gives a real sense of community since they're all really good readers."
Despite a snow that dampened attendance, the open house still "got people talking and coming in." (The store used the leftovers for people who dropped by during the tour of stores sponsored by local merchants.) The previous year's open house, which wasn't hurt by bad weather, turned out to be the second busiest sales day in the store's history, beaten only by the Saturday before Christmas.
Among books selling well are Leonardo, the Terrible Monster by Mo Willems, which is "lots of fun to sell"; Our Endangered Values by Jimmy Carter; A Million Little Pieces by James Frey; A Man Without a Country by Kurt Vonnegut; The Highest Tide by Jim Lynch; and Why Do Men Have Nipples? by Mark Leyner and Billy Goldberg, M.D.
The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion has also sold strongly. "I'm surprised it would do so well here," Baudoin said, adding that the reviews and Didion's many interviews helped greatly.
Owner Kate Bearce has been pushing George R. R. Martin's latest, A Feast for Crows, part four of the Song of Ice and Fire series. In the same general category, Eragon by Christopher Paolini is "still going. We can't keep it in stock."
For her part, Baudoin has been handselling The Singing and Dancing Daughters of God by Timothy Stafford. "It's a nice, sweet story, not too light, and it ends where it should end. It's a very satisfying ending, which is unusual these days."
The author of another Baudoin favorite is arriving on Friday: the store will host Deborah Noyes, author of Angel and Apostle. About Pearl, the daughter of Hester in The Scarlet Letter, the book "examines what it's like to be an outsider," Baudoin said. "[Her banishment] is supposed to be punishment but it's a blessing in disguise. She is not saddled with mores and can enjoy life." Main Street was able to lure Noyes because she had appeared before. Her Hana in the Time of the Tulips tied in well with Pella, a "Dutch town" that has a big tulip festival. Noyes will also appear at two other Iowa stores: Prairie Lights Bookstore in Iowa City and Big Table Books in Ames.
Among the reasons for the good cheer at Main Street: the Midwest Booksellers Association catalogue (Baudoin, an MBA board member, admitted to being deeply involved in its creation) has gotten "a really good response," in part because of the brilliant execution behind it but also because Main Street Books sold space on the inside cover to local businesses to promote local shopping. ("We've all been very involved in that fight," she commented.) In addition, the store rented mailing lists and sent catalogues to more people than usual, particularly to residents of smaller towns outside Pella where the store has "good customers" whose names it doesn't know.
Also, after Kate Bearce bought the store a little over a year ago and became involved in day-to-day operations (contrasting with the previous owner's hands-off approach), the store has been able to do book groups and other events.
Altogether the efforts have helped raise the profile of Main Street Books. "We've been here six years, and finally people are catching on," Baudoin said. While common wisdom is to advertise heavily in the first year after a store opens and then back off, with today's intense competition, "you can't ever back off," she continued. "You have to remind people constantly that you are there and have the books."
In a related vein, several weeks ago Main Street Books held another annual open house for top customers. (Most are invited on the basis of sales, but "we sneak in a few other favorites," Baudoin said.) The store invited about 50 people, closed its doors that evening, offered 20% off on purchases and cooked food from three cookbooks: The Silver Spoon from Phaidon Press, Chocolate Holidays: Unforgettable Desserts for Every Season by Alice Medrich and A Baker's Tour: Nick Malgieri's Favorite Baking Recipes from Around the World. "Cookbooks are a great gift, and when you cook from them, it's a great way to push them," Baudoin commented. The event also allowed "us to get to good customers and talk to them. It increases contact time and gives a real sense of community since they're all really good readers."
Despite a snow that dampened attendance, the open house still "got people talking and coming in." (The store used the leftovers for people who dropped by during the tour of stores sponsored by local merchants.) The previous year's open house, which wasn't hurt by bad weather, turned out to be the second busiest sales day in the store's history, beaten only by the Saturday before Christmas.
Among books selling well are Leonardo, the Terrible Monster by Mo Willems, which is "lots of fun to sell"; Our Endangered Values by Jimmy Carter; A Million Little Pieces by James Frey; A Man Without a Country by Kurt Vonnegut; The Highest Tide by Jim Lynch; and Why Do Men Have Nipples? by Mark Leyner and Billy Goldberg, M.D.
The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion has also sold strongly. "I'm surprised it would do so well here," Baudoin said, adding that the reviews and Didion's many interviews helped greatly.
Owner Kate Bearce has been pushing George R. R. Martin's latest, A Feast for Crows, part four of the Song of Ice and Fire series. In the same general category, Eragon by Christopher Paolini is "still going. We can't keep it in stock."
For her part, Baudoin has been handselling The Singing and Dancing Daughters of God by Timothy Stafford. "It's a nice, sweet story, not too light, and it ends where it should end. It's a very satisfying ending, which is unusual these days."
The author of another Baudoin favorite is arriving on Friday: the store will host Deborah Noyes, author of Angel and Apostle. About Pearl, the daughter of Hester in The Scarlet Letter, the book "examines what it's like to be an outsider," Baudoin said. "[Her banishment] is supposed to be punishment but it's a blessing in disguise. She is not saddled with mores and can enjoy life." Main Street was able to lure Noyes because she had appeared before. Her Hana in the Time of the Tulips tied in well with Pella, a "Dutch town" that has a big tulip festival. Noyes will also appear at two other Iowa stores: Prairie Lights Bookstore in Iowa City and Big Table Books in Ames.