At Inklings Bookshop in Yakima, Wash.,
"customers seem very optimistic," said owner Susan Richmond, "and we've
weathered a few Christmas seasons that have not been that way." Patrons
are displaying a willingness to spend, but what's more,
"They seem excited about what we have, and purchases are bigger."
Among the books causing a stir: The Cinnamon Bear in the Adventure of
the Silver Star, a picture book adapted from a serialized radio program
that began airing annually in the late 1930s. The swift sales pace has
surprised Richmond, who initially ordered a modest amount. The day the
Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association holiday catalogue appeared in
the local paper--with The Cinnamon Bear on the cover--the store sold
all copies of the title it had.
Richmond credits the book's popularity in part to nostalgia. People who
listened to the radio program as children want to introduce the story
to their grandkids. To keep momentum going, Richmond is sponsoring an
area radio station's presentation of Cinnamon Bear's escapades. The
tale will be told in 15-minute episodes and conclude on Christmas Eve.
This year the store-sponsored PNBA catalogue appeared in the Yakima
Herald-Republic (circ. 40,000) the Monday before Thanksgiving rather
than in the more congested Friday edition. "We were one of maybe two
inserts," noted Richmond, "so it was easy for people to see it." A
coupon offers customers who purchase any book in the catalogue 50% off
a second selection. The catalogue is drawing shoppers into the store,
and Inklings staff members are handselling the featured PNBA titles.
"In past years the books have not always been ones we could get excited
about," said Richmond, "but this year there's a good mix that we can
get behind."
One of those books is Molly Gloss' The Hearts of Horses. The novel is a
top seller for Inklings, aided by Portland, Ore., resident Gloss'
appearance at the Rotary Club of Yakima last week. Also selling
steadily is Oregon author Jean Kirkpatrick's most recent novel,
Tendering in the Storm, and the children's books Gallop! by Rufus
Butler Seder and Sandra Boynton's Blue Moo.
Fiction and nonfiction are proving equally popular. National
bestsellers among the mix include A Thousand Splendid Suns, Pillars of
the Earth, Water for Elephants and Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission
to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time. Timothy Egan's The Worst
Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American
Dust Bowl is benefiting from interest in the tome's topic generated by
a fiction title--John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath, which was a
recent Yakima Big Read pick.
Inklings is located in a wine-producing region, and books on area vintages--such as Washington Wines & Wineries: The Essential Guide by Paul Gregutt--are enticing gift choices. Some vino-loving recipients will be receiving Blind Wine, a kit for hosting a wine tasting party. Another sideline that is "flying out of the store," said Richmond, is Bananagrams, a word game packaged in a yellow, banana-shaped bag.
This is the store's second year in its new location, a shopping center
with boutiques, a Starbucks, a supermarket, a bank and other merchants;
the move has increased foot traffic. This weekend Inklings--which takes
its name from a literary group that included C.S. Lewis and J.R.R.
Tolkien--is participating in the shopping center's Walk Around, which
takes place the second Saturday of every month. Retailers provide
refreshments and entertainment, and at Inklings, a flute troop will
perform and local author Donnajean Barton will sign copies of her novel
Earthwalk. "I try to schedule most of our signings on the day of the
Walk Around so there is extra foot traffic for the events," Richmond
said.
A new display located near the store's entrance is stocked with books
bearing covers all in the same color scheme. For its inaugural month
the shade is red, and some of the titles promoted are The Gift of the
Magi, A Charlie Brown Christmas, A Cup of Christmas Tea and Betty
Crocker Cookbook. Also featured are items like candles, Washington Wine
Playing Cards and the Fantastic Instant Fireplace, a DVD that projects
an image of a roaring log fire.
'Tis
certainly the season at Inklings, which also has snowflakes hanging
from the ceiling, twinkling lights adorning bookshelves, and a
fireplace mantle bedecked in greenery.--Shannon McKenna Schmidt