Registration is now open for a one-day workshop for new and prospective booksellers to be presented by the Bookstore Training Group of Paz & Associates on Tuesday, January 21, just prior to the opening of Winter Institute 2014 in Seattle.

Since Granada Books opened its doors on June 20, owners Sharon Hoshida and Emmett McDonough have been working hard to establish the store as Santa Barbara, California’s community and cultural hub.

For those who are preparing to open a bookstore and those who have just opened their doors, The Bookstore Training Group of Paz & Associates is offering its final workshop retreat of the year from Monday, September 9, through Thursday, September 12, on Amelia Island, Florida.

WORD bookstore is opening its second location in mid-September in Jersey City, New Jersey, and will feature an eclectic mix of titles, a welcoming event space, and a café serving Stumptown coffee.

New and prospective booksellers will have the opportunity to learn about the many different aspects of the bookstore start-up process and the ongoing operations necessary to achieve financial sustainability at upcoming workshops facilitated by The Bookstore Training Group of Paz & Associates.

In recent months, ABA has welcomed four new staff members, whose aim is to share their skills as well as their passion for independent bookselling with member stores. For booksellers who didn’t have the opportunity to meet them at BEA, here’s an introduction to the association’s newest employees.

Whether you’re testing the waters or already a new owner, the May workshop retreat “Owning a Bookstore: The Business Essentials” will provide critical retail fundamentals and indie bookstore best practices for establishing a competitive business.

Following publication of last week’s list of 2012 ABA member store openings, three more stores were added, bringing the total to 43.  Also added to ABA’s membership over the past year were 11 bookstores opening for business in 2011 that joined the association in 2012.

ABA welcomed 43 indie bookstores that opened in 2012 in 25 states. Among them were six branches of existing businesses and seven selling primarily used books. California is home to seven new stores; New York, five; Florida and Texas, three; and Kansas, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina, two.

ABA Provisional members and employees of Regular member stores can now register for “How to Succeed at Retail Bookselling: Introduction to the Bookstore Business,” a full-day seminar to be held in Kansas City, Missouri, on Friday, February 22, 2013, the day before the eighth annual Winter Institute (Wi8) begins.