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| Trudi Bartow | |
Trudi Bartow, sales director at the Unemployed Philosophers Guild, has shared insights about nonbook and sidelines sales at regional shows like the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association and Mountains & Plains Independent Booksellers Association. Here Bartow provides an overview of the importance of nonbook products for independent booksellers while also offering tips and suggestions.
Walk into any thriving bookstore today and you'll notice something immediately: the shelves are telling more than one story. Alongside the frontlist and staff picks, there are stickers, candles, plush axolotls, puzzles, tarot decks, and cleverly designed mugs that have become essential parts of the indie bookstore experience. Sidelines are no longer the side dish--they're a key ingredient in the retail recipe.
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| At Auntie's Bookstore in Spokane, Wash. | |
Between tariffs, freight costs, and shifting consumer budgets, bookstores need dependable categories that perform year-round. Sidelines deliver exactly that. Under-$20 items remain the sweet spot: small, joyful indulgences customers can justify any time they walk in.
At Village Books and Paper Dreams in Bellingham and Lynden, Wash., co-owner Sarah Hutton sees it daily. "Gifts don't just pad the bottom line--they make customers linger," Hutton said. "And the longer people linger, the more they buy."
Mica Perruzzi, buyer at Sherman's Maine Coast Book Shops, emphasizes the impact of sidelines on customer experience: "Sherman's is known as the place to browse. That's intentional, and sidelines play a huge role in it."
And across the indie world, stores echoed the same sentiment in the American Booksellers Association's January 2025 survey, where 52.7% of responding bookstores reported higher 2024 sales than 2023.
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| At Posman Books in Atlanta, Ga. | |
The categories are growing. According to Gifts & Decorative Accessories, the candle market grew 8% year-over-year in specialty retail, and journals and stationery continued to rise in 2024, supported by a global stationery market valued at $117.69 billion with a forecast 4.4% CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) through 2030. Plush and sensory items have also remained strong across specialty channels.
One of the biggest drivers behind the sideline surge is what many retailers describe as the "digital backlash." After years of screens, customers are craving tactile experiences.
Circana's consumer research shows 64% of Gen Z and Millennials prefer shopping environments where they can touch products, and more than half say they're purchasing more journals, notebooks, and plush items than in the previous year. Globally, analog play is trending as well: Circana's G12 market analysis reported 36% growth in games and puzzles in the first half of 2025.
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| At Oblong Books in Rhinebeck, N.Y. | |
This dovetails neatly with book culture. Journals pair beautifully with romance and literary fiction. Puzzles slot naturally beside cozy mysteries. Tarot decks fit evenly between fan-favorite fantasy titles. And store-branded merchandise, from totes to mugs, continues to rise nationwide.
"People expect bookstore merch now," Hutton said. "And it keeps them connected to your store long after they've gone home."
When it comes to merchandising, strong sideline programs mirror strong book displays: they tell a story. "Think in stories," said Lisa Bach, director of sales at Anne McGilvray & Co, a national gift rep agency working across hundreds of independent bookstores and specialty retailers. "You'd never build a display without a theme, and the same applies to sidelines."
Bach's approach is simple:
- Pair romance with journals and candles
- Add plush and sensory toys to kids' sections
- Place literary candles near classics, art mugs near art history
- Use small displays at the cash wrap for easy add-ons
In Portland, Ore., Powell's Books gift buyer Rin Stone focuses on accessibility. "Is it easy to reach? Will it delight the kid or the parent?"
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| At Atticus Coffee and Teahouse in Park City, Utah | |
These questions guide every table, spinner, and shelf. Booksellers consistently report that cross-merchandising increases attachment sales and helps customers discover items they didn't know they wanted.
Platforms like Faire have made browsing easier, but booksellers say the best buying strategy blends online discovery with rep expertise.
"Faire is fantastic for finding new brands," said Karen Sawyer of Pier Six Press. "But reps know what's trending, what stores like yours are selling, and what terms you can access."
Reps also help with freight navigation, MOQ strategies, and trend forecasting. As Bach put it: "Reps save you time, save you money, and make you money."
For stores growing their sideline mix, the advice is consistent: start with proven high-margin categories, add a few trend-forward items tied to your community, test small, and attend at least one major gift show for hands-on inspiration.
While every store's mix looks different, booksellers nationwide consistently describe nonbook items as a meaningful and growing share of revenue over the past several years.
At The Unemployed Philosophers Guild, we think of bookstores as "idea-forward retailers"--places where design, intellect, and whimsy naturally meet. Bookstores are often where we first see traction for new aesthetics or product themes. Customers who shop there tend to be thoughtful, intentional, and emotionally connected to what they buy.
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| At The Well-Read Moose, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho | |
When a literary mug, notebook, or candle succeeds in a bookstore, it usually signals a cultural thread worth following. Sidelines thrive in bookstores not simply because they're clever or beautiful, but because they extend the reading experience. They let customers carry a piece of the story into daily life.
Sidelines aren't fluff, they're fuel. Sidelines don't compete with books. They complete them. They offer tactile joy, deepen the emotional experience of browsing, and keep customers coming back for more. Most importantly, they help bookstores express their personality--their humor, warmth, curiosity, and quirks.
A great sideline doesn't shout. It simply says: This store gets you. And that's how bookstores continue to thrive--beyond the book.
Bartow can be reached here.