A Celebration of Children's Books in Alexandria

Trish Brown said she "didn't pay a whole lot of attention to children's books before I had a child."

When she did start paying attention, it had quite an impact on her life: she became a bookseller at A Likely Story in Alexandria, Virginia, when her daughter was five years old -- and stayed on for 16 years.

A Likely Story closed in November 2007, and in June of this year, Brown and business partner Ellen Klein became even more immersed in the world of children's books: they opened a new bookstore, Hooray for Books!, in the former A Likely Story space.

Klein was a bookseller at A Likely Story, too. She worked there for the store's final year, and was a freelance writer for many years before that. And so the two women pooled their bookselling and business skills, gave Brown's husband the job of website designer, and started creating their bookstore business.

Hooray for Books! had its grand opening on June 21, complete with ribbon-cutting and sign-unveiling ceremonies, a storytime, and a magician. Alexandria's vice-mayor and a city council member attended, too.

"People have been very supportive," Brown said. "Every day, still, people walk in and say, 'We're so glad you're here.'"

It's likely that the store's slate of events has had some impact on the positive reception. Brown, Klein, and the store's bookselling staff of five (which includes former A Likely Story employees) are a creative bunch, as evidenced by their themed storytimes. They include a Dog Days of Summer Storytime (featuring dog-related books, plus biscuits to take home to Fido) and a Once Upon a Storytime that will feature fairy tales -- and whatever fantastical finery attendees wish to wear.

In addition to staff brainstorming sessions, Brown said, "We try to see what's going on in the area that we can hook into. For example, there was an African heritage festival here, so we did a storytime around that. We had the mayor do a storytime, too."

Hooray for Books! also hosts events that feature local artists and other talented residents. "We're working with a local photographer and artist who does handmade books. And our French class for toddlers is taught by a local teacher," Brown said. "We're trying to connect with the community."

That sense of community, and the ways in which the efforts have been reciprocated, have been a happy surprise for Brown. "I always thought of Alexandria as a big metro area, but it had a small-town feel when we were dealing with banks, our landlords.... The people we had to deal with in order to get into business have been excited about [the bookstore], and really helpful. It's been really nice," she said.

Hooray for Books! has a nice location, too -- on Alexandria's main street, where it gets plenty of walk-in traffic. "You have to walk past us to get get to [the Old Town historic area] from the Metro, and people staying in hotels have to walk by us," Brown explained, adding, "A surprising number of families live close by. We have a combination of tourists, families, and other local people."

Brown said sales have been better than anticipated, partly due to tourist traffic. The wow-factor inherent in encountering a kids-centric bookstore also has drawn people to Hooray for Books! "There are so few children's bookstores left -- a lot of people have never even seen a children's-only bookstore," she said.

Bibliophiles distressed by A Likely Story's closing have been coming in to Hooray for Books! to welcome the bookstore to the neighborhood. "There was one woman," Brown recalled, "who walked in from off the street with tears in her eyes.... She was so moved by the fact we were back."

Hooray for Books! is on the first floor of a modern office building and has a lot of windows and natural light (plus weekend access to an atrium in the building's lobby). In order to make way for strollers, the design is streamlined -- the furniture is mainly bookshelves and the cashwrap. Another strategic decision: the storytime area isn't carpeted, because the store needs an "easily cleaned surface" for the often-messy arts-and-crafts events.

Although Hooray for Books! is up and running well, Brown said she and Klein are working on balancing back-office work and time on the sales floor. They're also striving to ensure their inventory meets their standards and their customers' needs.

"We have lots and lots of books, and a great selection in some places, but I'm still noticing holes -- especially when people come in asking for something," Brown said. (Anne of Green Gables and Gooseberry Park top her Why-didn't-we-order-that-yet? list.)

Marketing efforts include a "Services for Schools" section on the store website, plus a blog. Brown and Klein are considering creating a MySpace page, too. There are IndieBound materials on display in the store, with more on order.

In fact, Brown said, a young woman wearing an IndieBound t-shirt came into the store not long ago. "She got it at a bookstore in North Carolina, and wanted to know if we carried the shirts because she saw the poster in the window," Brown said. "So the sign was recognized -- I thought that was cool."

Being a new bookstore owner agrees with Brown, too, though there certainly have been stressful days. She said, laughing, "It can be hard...someone described it like the birthing process. You're all excited, but when the baby is actually there, it's a lot of work and you get tired and start wondering if it's such a great idea after all. But then, you gradually start to enjoy it." -- Linda M. Castellitto