[6]The Bookstore Training Group of Paz & Associates will present its next “Owning a Bookstore [7]” workshop retreat for new and prospective booksellers from August 27 to 30 in Nashville, Tennessee.

The workshop, which aims to provide participants with the information and skills they need to develop a profitable and sustainable business, is co-sponsored by the American Booksellers Association and facilitated by Paz & Associates’ Donna Paz Kaufman and Mark Kaufman.

Ahead of the workshop, participants will be expected to complete a self-study online training program, which uses video presentations, handouts, exercises, and case studies to address the fundamentals of launching a business venture, creating social and financial profits, assessing a community’s ability to support an indie bookstore, uncovering what customers want, and how successful booksellers compete in today’s market and economy.

The workshop retreat will then address the key elements of store design, how to buy books and non-book merchandise, the disciplines of inventory management, how to effectively use a bookstore computer system, successful marketing strategies, developing an exceptional staff, and more.

The program will also include field trips to Parnassus Books [8] in Nashville and to Ingram Book Company’s home offices and primary warehouse in La Vergne. In addition to the facilitators, presenters will include guest booksellers and trainers who will share their expertise.

For details, visit PazBookBiz.com [7] or call (904) 277-2664. ABA members are entitled to discounted tuition and should call to register.