Keeping Kids Coming Back for More

Collette Morgan of Minneapolis' Wild Rumpus is a master at creating authorless events that not only draw crowds, but that also ensure that her young customers continue to return to the store through high school and beyond. Morgan recently shared some of these memorable events at the ABA panel "Creating Killer Events" at BookExpo America. This week, BTW talks with the events guru herself about some of her store's unusual, crowd-pleasing activities.

"Mummify Your Barbie" is one of Wild Rumpus' most popular events. An archaeologist discusses and demonstrates the mummification process, and attendees each practice on their own Barbie. "The highlight is cutting off her hair. Every little girl wants to cut the hair off her Barbie," said Morgan. "The appeal of the workshop is not only curiosity about the whole mummification process. There's something deeply satisfying about mutilating a Barbie."

Wild Rumpus provides the Barbie dolls, which it buys in bulk, and does not charge for the event. "We never charge for events," Morgan said. "We really want to make events accessible to people who couldn't pay to come. More than anything else, we want to get them to come in and become readers, so we absorb the cost. We don't put our money into advertising; we put it into events." Morgan noted that the events usually generate their own press anyway.

To find an archaeologist, she recommended approaching the archaeology department of a local university. "People are usually pretty excited to [visit the bookstore] because it's a chance to connect with a totally different population than they see every day." Wild Rumpus usually offers experts a Book Sense gift card in exchange for conducting an event.

Another popular in-store event revolves around a veterinarian's visit to Wild Rumpus to inoculate the store's resident animals, which has included cats, chickens, a ferret, geckos, tarantulas, rats, cockatiels, fish, and finches. (The store's website, www.wildrumpusbooks.com, offers the official Wild Rumpus poster, featuring photos of some of the store's "eclectic family.")

A successful off-site event, said Morgan, was the recent "Walk Your Book Around the Lake." On Father's Day, participants brought a book and took it for a stroll around the nearby Lake Harriet. Customers who signed up beforehand received marathon-style racing bibs that included an image of their book, along with publisher and author information. Accompanying dogs also wore bibs. Stationed along the three and a half-mile walk were several "Read Cross" stations that offered water and a cheering section.

"We weren't selling anything," Morgan explained. "We were just promoting that it's fun to read as a family."

Wild Rumpus distributed prizes to children who visited each "Read Cross" station. The prizes, said Morgan, were previously collected "publisher booty."

Pre-planning for the event included obtaining the necessary permit for "Walk Your Book Around the Lake" from the local Parks Department.

Wild Rumpus has no shortage of crafts events that draw younger customers, but for teenagers, music events pull the crowds. "Local bands have great appeal," Morgan said. She added that she maintains her teenage customer base by ensuring their loyalty when they're young. "We cultivate them," she said. "We grow them like corn."

High school juniors and seniors loved "Battle of the Garage Bands," said Morgan. "Everyone in the band has their own groupies. It's always an easy draw. Anytime there's a contest with studio time, they'll come out of the woodwork." The battle was tied into an author event for the Worst Band in the Universe (Harry N. Abrams) by Graeme Base, who judged the entrants. Five bands signed up and the winner got a free recording session, which was donated by a friend of Morgan's.

The best advice for designing unique and authorless events is to "be creative," said Morgan. "Don't be afraid to reach out to your community to ask for help. Many would be truly honored to participate in an event at their community bookstore. Don't be shy. And if someone tells you no, don't take it personally. What the hell, just find another archaeologist."

Booksellers with questions about hosting events or finding sources can e-mail Morgan at [email protected]. --Karen Schechner