In the spirit of its invitation-only open house/parties held several
times a year in-store and at a nearby restaurant, the Frugal Frigate,
the Redlands, Calif., children's bookstore, is planning a three-day
conference next September at the historic Mission Inn Hotel and Spa in
Riverside, to which it will invite some 200 teachers. The conference
will feature appearances by a range of children's authors,
illustrators, publishers and others in the industry who will aim to
give the participants "ammunition to go back to their schools and teach
the reading of children's literature," as Frugal Frigate co-owner Brad
Hundman put it.
"We're breaking new ground," Hundman continued enthusiastically. "We
wanted to do something to differentiate ourselves, something fun. This
is nothing more than filling a need."
The event will likely be called either the Mission Inn Literacy
Celebration or take on some variation of its informal in-store name,
the September Event, perhaps the September Literacy Celebration.
Scheduled for September 27-29, the September Event, let us say, will feature authors
such as Michael Buckley, co-author of the Sisters Grimm series, Nikki
Grimes and Diane Adams.
Each attendee will pay about $245 and receive several books in addition
to the three days of events, which will include a Friday evening
roundtable and a lunch on the Inn's patio with a violinist and
celloist. Hundman envisions a casual atmosphere, with a big room where
people can "come and go as they please," and authors will not be
expected to work all day. "We will offer great books from great
authors," he added. "And if nothing else, we will be astounded at the
knowledge that will flow."
The guest list the first year will be invitation-only for the most part
because the store wants the event to be "a benefit for the people we
come into contact with," Hundman said. There will be other benefits:
10% discounts on many books, and participants who purchase $3,000
worth of books within 60 days after the event will be reimbursed their
fee.
Hundman wants to have at least two of such events a year. "I've already
talked with some authors for the 2008 events," he said. That year, the
store plans to hold two Literacy Events, in May and September.
While he said he understands the attraction to children of "all the cool stuff"--from
video games to the Internet to text messaging--Hundman said, "It's so critical that we teach this next generation the value of
reading. It's not an issue of selling books, but getting
the right literature into people's hands. We as an industry have to
concentrate on this."
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The Frugal Frigate continues to hold several open house/parties a year
to which it invites 250-350 customers, local officials, "the
people we come into contact with and the people who have supported
us," as Hundman put it. On a Saturday afternoon, they see the store and then go to the
nearby Farm restaurant for several hours of fine artisanal food, music
and the opportunity to meet several authors, usually two established
authors and one "comer"--and buy books although there is "never any
push" to have anyone make purchases. "When we close the door, there's
nothing but magic," Hundman said. The Frugal Frigate is considering
eventually putting on similar events in other areas.
(For previous stories about the remarkable open house/parties, see our issues of August 21, 2005 and October 30, 2005.)
Hundman emphasized that the events are intended to honor both customers and
authors. "A lot of this is nothing more than sharing blessings and
treating authors with the respect they deserve," Hundman explained. "It is a privilege to have each author come to our store."
As usual, a desire for immediate financial return is not the key
motivator for the Frugal Frigate in any of its events. "What we're doing is genuine,"
Hundman said. "It's from the heart and good business. Everyone wins."--John Mutter