“Owning a Bookstore” Workshop to Be Held in Massachusetts in August

Registration is now open for the Paz & Associates workshop “Owning a Bookstore: The Business Essentials” to be held from August 23 to 26 in Franklin, Massachusetts. An Unlikely Story, author Jeff Kinney’s bookstore and café in nearby Plainville, will be the host.

The workshop, also known as “Bookstore Boot Camp” for new and prospective bookstore owners, will focus on the art as well as the science of developing a profitable and sustainable business.

Trainees will be expected to first complete online training on their own to gain an understanding of start-up investment requirements, learn how to assess the strength of a community to sustain a bookstore, be able to judge location options, and understand bookstore financial dynamics. Using video presentations, hand-outs, spreadsheets, and exercises, the online training is designed to provide the fundamentals of the bookstore business.

The “Bookstore Boot Camp” will then address the key elements of store design and how much space is needed, how to buy books and non-book merchandise, the disciplines of managing inventory, how to effectively use a bookstore computer system to manage the store, effective and low cost marketing strategies, developing an exceptional staff, and more. Attendees will also learn best practices and strategies of some of the most successful independent bookstores.

Co-sponsored by the American Booksellers Association, this workshop will be facilitated by Donna Paz Kaufman and Mark Kaufman of The Bookstore Training Group of Paz & Associates, with guest booksellers and trainers who will share their frontline expertise.

ABA members are eligible for discounted tuition; however, workshop registration is limited (the last workshop in April was full).

For details, visit PazBookBiz.com or call (904) 277-2664.