Ci3: Booksellers Share Tips for Hosting Children’s Birthday Parties

At last month’s Children’s Institute, three booksellers with extensive in-store birthday party programs led a discussion on how to get started and what book themes, activities, and packages to offer.

The bookseller panel featured Cynthia Compton of 4 Kids Books & Toys in Zionsville, Indiana; Barbara Khan of Jack & Allie’s in Vernon, Connecticut; Lauren Savage of The Reading Bug in San Carlos, California; and moderator Amy Thomas of Pegasus Books in Berkeley, California.

“Birthday parties are a really wonderful way of creating something where there was nothing before,” explained Savage. Booksellers should expect some expenses upfront when starting to host birthday parties, but “once you have a solid party program and someone to run it, your margin can be quite large if you do it carefully.” The Reading Bug sees profits of up to 75 percent on birthday parties as well as longer term benefits from getting new kids into the store and booking future parties with attendees.

To establish a price for birthday parties, Savage visited area businesses to find out the average price of parties at other venues. “Stick with the going rate in your area to start, and increase as you offer more and more options,” such as face painting or fingernail painting, she said.

4 Kids Books & Toys has been hosting birthday parties for children aged 2 to 12 for a decade and charges a mid-range price compared to other venues that host birthday parties in the area. “Produce a menu of extras for the mom or dad who wants to go beyond the standard party price,” Compton recommended, such as adding pizza or extra treats in the gift bags. “There should always be more to add. Find ways to upsell if [parents] feel the need to do that.”

Compton sees profits of more than $100 for birthday events and counts birthday party income as a part of her monthly operating budget, she said. “It goes directly to my rent.”

Jack & Allie’s, which is celebrating its first anniversary this month, has been hosting birthday parties since the store opened, said Kahn, and the store sees “phenomenal margins” from these events. In addition to the income from the initial fee, birthday parties also produce profits from purchases off the birthday child’s wish list and from parents who wander the store and make purchases while their children are attending a party.

Kahn also offers add-ons to the initial package, which includes, for a two-hour party for up to 10 children: the book the party is based on as a gift for the birthday child; two hostesses; crafts and games; and pizza, drinks, and paper goods. Add-ons include goodie bags and the option of inviting more than 10 guests; parents are responsible for bringing the cake.

Jack & Allie’s goodie bags contain a book, a handful of candy, and bookstore bookmarks, as well as coupons for the bookstore and for area vendors, such as the restaurant that provides the pizza for the party. “It works out really well because not every parent wants a goodie bag. You don’t want to get into a situation where you’re subtracting,” Kahn said.

Birthday parties at Jack & Allie’s start with a story time in the center of the store, then head to a separate party room for crafts. When the kids return to the center of the store for games, the hostesses set up the party room for food, after which the party concludes.

Parties at The Reading Bug are all book-themed, and crafts and activities are curated to revolve around the chosen theme, said Savage. Popular themes right now are Fancy Nancy, Pinkalicious, and Ladybug Girl, and many publishers offer event kits that can be incorporated. However, booksellers should be mindful of copyright infringement in terms of licensed characters, said Savage, such as those from Disney.

Lots of Savage’s craft ideas come from Pinterest and are rotated out every six months to keep parties fresh for repeat attendees. Craft materials are sourced from companies including Oriental Trading Company, Faber and Castel, and ALEX.

Compton has found success with Melissa & Doug’s Decorate Your Own crafts, which are inexpensive and include all the materials for a specific item, which the children take home at the end of the party. Any leftover kits are saved in storage for a future party.

4 Kids Books & Toys also works with outside vendors for party food, including cupcakes and pizza. “We get a lot of allergies and special requests, so it’s really good to have someone to work with,” said Compton.

The number of staff to have on hand depends on the number of children attending, said Savage, who plans for a host plus an assistant for parties of up to 14 kids, as well as a supervisor on the sales floor to help if needed.

Compton and Kahn use high school students — after appropriate training — to help run the parties, either as part of their bookselling role or as a stand-alone, part-time job. “Book them like a babysitting job,” said Compton. “But they have to be fabulous. Theater kids are awesome.”

To promote birthday parties at the store, Savage leaves a notebook at the store’s checkout with pictures of the party room and ideas for themes and also hangs signage near party books. Compton has a flier at the bookstore’s register, as does Kahn, but all the panelists agreed that throwing birthday parties innately leads to more birthday parties, due to attendees who end up booking parties and to word of mouth.

“Birthday parties happen year-round,” Kahn reminded booksellers, and that can be particularly important for bookstores that see low numbers at times such as winter. “We were busy despite the terrible weather because people were still coming in for birthdays.”