Booksellers at BEA Look to Improve Ambience

The well-attended session "Improving Ambience, Improving Sales" was held on Thursday, June 2, as part of ABA's daylong education program at BookExpo America. Presented by bookstore consultant Kate Whouley of Books in Common on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, the session was adapted from an all-day educational workshop Whouley created for the New England Booksellers Association. Early in her presentation, Whouley discussed how the "accumulation of stuff" can snowball into a major headache for booksellers if they are not careful. She compared the problem to what people sometimes experience in their own homes. "Personally, I have a stack of New Yorker magazines that I won't ever get to in this lifetime," Whouley said. "That's what happens in your retail space."

Finding ways to enhance "the overall look and feel of your store," especially the visual aspects, is key, she continued. Her engaging presentation, which utilized overhead slides, focused on case studies involving five NEBA-member stores. "We didn't go out and try to find 'problem stores,'" she said. "We tried to find ones that felt they had room for improvement.'"

First up was Bear Pond Books in Montepelier, Vermont. The store's problem areas included lighting, display windows, receiving, and the cash wrap area. And there was something that needed attention right away: "We were there in mid-August, and as you see [from the slide], that's a Fourth of July banner outside the store," Whouley said. Inside, the store offered a plentiful and wide-ranging selection of books, yet things were "cluttered," Whouley noted. "The customer can't handle all those book jackets [on display]. More is more, is not always true." Because the front window was so crammed, the store was forfeiting its chance to get enough natural lighting, Whouley noted.

She then spoke about the use of contrasting colors, including regarding the books themselves. "Customers are going to see that red book you really want them to see better than the white or black book next to it."

Bear Pond wasn't providing enough aisle space, either, so the "butt-brush factor" had to be improved, Whouley said. "Make your store as comfortable and browseable as possible," she recommended.

Next up was Kate's Mystery Books in Cambridge, Massachusetts, whose stand-alone location demands that it be visible from all directions. But its sign was hidden to drivers heading down Massachusetts Avenue, while its name shared sign space with, well, a funeral home. Inside, boxes of books in front of sections got in the way of browsing, explained Whouley, who pointed out that "if your store is overflowing with books, there's a good chance your cash isn't flowing half so well."

She suggested the store cut non-sellers from the inventory, make room for the boxed books, replace its worn area rugs, and "play up [its] great wood floors." She handed out a handsome map that was created for Kate's. "Creating a map for customers forces you to think about your category choices and locations, and it can be a great marketing tool," she said.

Another store that was very much in need of a map was Toadstool Bookstore in Keene, New Hampshire, which Whouley described as a large "nooks and crannies kind of store." Toadstool was suffering from the effects of too much lighting. "After 20 minutes, my eyes really hurt," Whouley said. "For lighting issues, booksellers should consider calling in a professional."

Whouley also described improvements to Titcomb's Bookshop in East Sandwich, Massachusetts, and to Norwich Bookstore in Norwich, Vermont, as well as ways to improve ambience in general. These include painting inside walls; warming things up with wood and color accents; rearranging permanent displays and fixtures so customers can easily figure out how to navigate to the rear of the store; rearranging sections so they lead naturally from one related subject to another; and doing analysis to make sure you have the right amount of inventory dedicated to a particular section.

Asked about where to begin and how to prioritize improvements, Whouley suggested, "Ask different people to talk about what they see in your store, as different people will notice different things," but she warned, "If you take on big [projects], remember that it always takes longer than expected. Think big, but start small." --Jeff Perlah