Register Now for August “Owning a Bookstore” Workshop Retreat

The Bookstore Training Group of Paz & Associates will present its next Owning a Bookstore Workshop Retreat for new and prospective booksellers from August 23 to 26 in Franklin, Massachusetts. There is still time to register; however, space is limited.

The workshop, which will include a field trip to author Jeff Kinney’s award-winning bookstore, An Unlikely Story in Plainville, will provide participants with the information and skills they need to run a profitable, 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 workshop retreat will then address the key elements of store design, how to buy books and non-book merchandise, the disciplines of inventory management, how to effectively use a bookstore computer system, successful marketing strategies, developing an exceptional staff, and more. Attendees will also learn best practices of some of the most successful independent bookstores.

Co-sponsored by the American Booksellers Association, the program, facilitated by Paz & Associates’ Donna Paz Kaufman and Mark Kaufman, will include guest booksellers and trainers who will share their frontline expertise.

For details, visit PazBookBiz.com or call (904) 277-2664. ABA members are entitled to discounted tuition and should call to register.