It will be another two weeks before Books & Crannies, Middleburg, Va., is decked in greenery, lights and mistletoe, but behind the scenes co-owner Pat Daly is preparing for the season--devising gift suggestions, gearing up for the town's "Christmas in Middleburg" festivities and planning the store's holiday party.
For the first time, that party will be held offsite, at Barrel Oak Winery in nearby Delaplane. Headlining the event are several area authors, including Ellen Crosby, whose latest whodunit is The Bordeaux Betrayal, the third book in a mystery series set in the wine country around Middleburg, and Marc Leepson, the author of Desperate Engagement: How a Little-Known Civil War Battle Saved Washington, D.C., and Changed American History and other historical tomes.
Crosby's and Leepson's page-turners are among the books Daly and her colleagues have included among their gift suggestions in Loudoun Magazine. Northern Virginia shoppers will find a plethora of ideas in the December issue, titles the Books & Crannies staff intends to handsell and display in the store as well. Other books with a local connection are Washington, D.C., baker Warren Brown's CakeLove: How to Bake Cakes from Scratch, Vicky Moon's Equestrian Style and Susan McCorkindale's memoir, Confessions of a Counterfeit Farm Girl, about her move from New York City to a farm in the Virginia countryside.
For younger readers, Books & Crannies is offering signed copies of T.A. Barron's The Hero's Trail: A Guide for a Heroic Life and is recommending his new fantasy tale, Merlin's Dragon. Robert Sabuda's pop-up book Peter Pan is a favorite as are Nathaniel Philbrick's The Mayflower and the Pilgrim's New World and Fancy Nancy: Let's Get Fancy Together!, a book accompanied by colorful accessories like butterfly barrettes and glittery sunglasses.
For fiction, staffers suggest David Baldacci's latest thriller, Divine Justice, and Katherine Neville's The Fire, the much-anticipated sequel to The Eight. "There's such a great variety coming out this season," said Daly. "Publishers have done a great job timing the release of books as we head into the holiday season."
Although sales have been down slightly this year, Daly is optimistic about the holiday season. "We have a strong community that's very supportive of our bookstore," she said. "They tend to be loyal to local businesses." Books & Crannies was featured in the Middleburg Life as part of the newspaper's coverage of a shop local campaign.
Daly expects holiday shopping to begin late this year, since Middleburg residents--evenly divided between Republicans and Democrats--spent much of the year focused on the presidential election and also are concerned about the economy. Shopping "started later last year than it had in the past, and we think this year will be no exception," Daly said. "Then we're expecting a frenzy. The inevitable is that you have to buy gifts. Books make great gifts, of course, and generally speaking they're not as expensive as many of the things that we all put on our Christmas lists."
This is Books & Crannies' second holiday season in its new location on Middleburg's main street, a move that Daly notes has been a boon for business. "Especially as business drops off because of the economy, we get a lot more traffic than we would have if we had stayed on the side street," she said. Two bay windows will soon beckon browsers with displays of books the store is touting for holiday gifts, one devoted to children's titles and the other a general selection.
To help get the season going, the town holds its annual "Christmas in Middleburg" festivities, which take place on Saturday, December 6, and include two parades, one in which participants are dressed for a hunt in bright red jackets and accompanied by hounds. Books & Crannies offers hot mulled cider and cookies in front of the store to passersby that day.
Throughout the season, the store offers free gift wrapping with a variety of styles and cookies and treats. Those who purchase $200 or more in books can bring them home in a complimentary canvas tote bag with a sketch of the store on it. The store sends personalized thank you notes to its best customers.
This year Daly is stocking less inventory, primarily due to the decision to scale back on school holiday book fairs. The fairs require an extensive variety of titles and substantial amounts of each one, noted Daly, an expensive outlay that necessitates significant use of the store's credit lines. Books & Crannies will be providing select titles for one book fair and donating a portion of the gross revenue to the school.
By contrast, Daly has been steadily increasing business-to-business sales. Books & Crannies uses publisher programs that provide additional discounting if stores order a minimum number of books on a nonrefundable basis and have them drop-shipped to corporate customers. Daly presents proposals to businesses suggesting books for employee gifts and other uses. The store's b-to-b customers include medical practices, which purchase books by the hundreds to give to patients.
Gloom-and-doom predictions about the economy and the retail environment aren't dampening enthusiasm at Books & Crannies. Said Daly, "We're really looking forward to the holidays."--Shannon McKenna Schmidt