Strong Staff, Proactive Marketing Lead to a Happy 2nd Anniversary for Woodstock Bookstore

Read Between the Lynes, a general bookstore in the charming town of Woodstock, Illinois, quietly celebrated its second anniversary in July. Arlene Lynes, who opened the 1,700-square-foot store on the town square in July 2005, explained that there were several reasons for the store's low-key anniversary. It was a busy time -- the store played a major role in Woodstock's Sidewalk Sales Days and City Band Concert -- and, July 21, of course, marked the release of the final Harry Potter book. "We didn't want anything to overshadow that," Lynes said.

Lynes and her husband, Keith, also went on a long-planned vacation in July. Her absence meant that the store's part-time staff of six had to handle the major events, including the Harry Potter release party for several hundred, and the receipt and distribution of the strictly embargoed books. Lynes told BTW that e-mail exchanges with staff from the Riviera Maya resort in Mexico gave her some tense moments, but all of the events went off without a hitch.

Lynes credits the staff for helping the store experience substantial growth in the past year; she also attributes success to her proactive marketing strategy.

"I seek out local authors and offer to host book signings," she explained. "I try to do a lot of things that don't cost very much." Events are publicized through Constant Contact and the store's newsletter, "HeadLynes."

Staff member Josh Stevens creates posters for store events that are then reduced and printed four to a page. Cut into postcards, these make handy bookmarks, which are inserted in each book sold. Lynes also promotes many books through prominent displays of Book Sense Bestsellers and the monthly Picks lists. The Children's and Reading Group lists are currently featured.

"We also partner with many nonprofit organizations for events," Lynes said. "Our give-back program is called Lynes Share. We gave 20 percent of our [Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows] sales to the Family Health Partnership Clinic."

A Lynes Share of the proceeds from a June booksigning by author Jean Gould O'Connell, daughter of Chester Gould, favorite son and creator of cartoon legend Dick Tracy, went to Woodstock's Dick Tracy Museum.

Sharing a building with Starbucks, Lynes told BTW, brings in a lot of foot traffic. But she credits the Woodstock Opera House, a venue for concerts, theater, and an annual Mozart Festival, with providing "more purchasing traffic."

In October, the store will hold its third annual Banned Book Night, where everyone is invited to read a passage from his or her favorite Banned Book and to "stand up for your Constitutional Rights and let your voice be heard."

Earlier this year, Woodstock was named one of a Dozen Distinctive Destinations of 2007 by the National Trust For Historic Preservation, and the archetypal, friendly small town was featured in the 1992 hit film Groundhog Day, under the alias of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.

A business association of 31 downtown businesses, including Read Between the Lynes, has been integral to raising funds to benefit local retailers and services. The participating businesses contributed a total of about $30,000, which was matched by funds raised for this purpose through a new local hotel/motel tax. To bring more visitors to Woodstock, Lynes said, the Downtown Business Association met in January to prioritize media outlets most important to each member. The 10 receiving the most votes became the basis of a new marketing plan. "We anticipate many more good things for our customers and this community," Lynes affirmed. --Nomi Schwartz