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| Journals from Peter Pauper | |
At Bookery Manchester in Manchester, N.H., "journals of all kinds" are doing well, reported general manager Liz Cipriano. She noted a surge in popularity of guided journals, and in particular pointed to blank journals made by Peter Pauper Press. Cards are also popular, with some strong-performing lines including TinyBee, Blackbird Letterpress, Screech Owl Design, Underwood Letterpress and Idlewild Co. Over the holidays, Bookery Manchester brought in a variety of scented pens, pencils and backpack accessories from ScentCo, which Cipriano said made great stocking-stuffers. She added that she's been surprised by how popular postcard packs have been, with Clarkson Potter, Chronicle Books and Galison being customer favorites.
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| Book pins from Ideal Bookshelf | |
Cipriano said that the popularity of puzzle and board games has also been a big surprise, with some customers even asking when the store will get a particular game back in stock. In terms of local and regional sidelines, Cipriano said she hopes to expand those offerings throughout 2019, but at the moment the store does carry prints and calendars from local artists and photographers. The store also has an art gallery wall that showcases the work of a different local artist each month. When asked about perennial favorites, Cipriano mentioned tote bags from Gibbs-Smith and Seltzer Goods, along with store-branded bags, and enamel pins from Seltzer Goods, Peter Pauper Press, Out of Print and Ideal Bookshelf.
Beth Black, co-owner of The Bookworm in Omaha, Neb., reported that both lately and on a continual basis, greeting cards, boxed cards and puzzles have been selling very well. For greeting cards, the bulk of what the store sells comes from Papyrus, along with cards from Caspari and several other smaller, local lines. And for puzzles, Black most frequently orders from Springbok and Ravensburger. In terms of children's sidelines, the Bookworm carries plenty of plush, with MerryMakers, Gund and Steiff being store favorites. Over the past year, Black has done a lot with board games, particularly more retro games such as Scrabble, Monopoly and Hi Ho Cherry-O.
Over the holidays, Black brought in more winter-specific items like candles, hot chocolate mixes and infinity scarves, and through one of her sales reps was able to get a great deal on cashmere scarves--Black estimated that she must have reordered at least five times. In terms of local and regionally made sidelines, Black said that she carries matte prints and cards from a variety of local artists. She also carries Nebraska-themed items from Catstudio, as well as University of Nebraska- and Nebraska-branded water bottles and other merchandise, but she noted that those aren't produced locally.
In Culver City, Calif., romance-only bookstore The Ripped Bodice has been selling a lot of wintery items, even though California "doesn't really have a winter," said co-owner Leah Koch. Nevertheless, tea, hot chocolate mixes and mugs are moving well, with Pinky Up tea and Mayana Hot Chocolate being particularly popular. Over the holiday season, Ripped Bodice brought in beauty products by Spinsters Sisters Co. for the first time, and Koch reported that they received a "fantastic response." The store also debuted a store-branded bathrobe for the holidays, which their customers "loved."
When asked about locally made sidelines, Koch answered that she and her co-owner try to work with as many local artists as possible, and attended an annual holiday craft fair at the beginning of December to scout for new products. And on the subject of perennial favorites, Koch pointed to Emily Mcdowell cards, which are "always incredibly popular," and candles. While the store carries a wide variety of candles, Koch said that North Ave Candles from Pittsburgh, Pa., are a major hit, and the store collaborated with North Ave Candles to make a special holiday candle this year. --Alex Mutter
If you are interested in having your store appear in a future Sidelines Snapshot article, please e-mail alex@shelf-awareness.com.