On Friday, September 16, from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., those attending the Southeast Booksellers Association (SEBA) Fall Trade Show can learn more about the challenges and opportunities common to all independent Main Street businesses.

At the session "Independent Retailing in the U.S.," ABA COO Oren Teicher will moderate a panel featuring some of the region's leading retailers, who will share both their successes and mistakes -- and what they have learned from each. In addition, the panelists will look at the common challenges facing all independent Main Street retailers -- including important political issues affecting their cities and towns -- and how they might work together to meet them.

Among the retailers on the panel are Jim Bland of Plan 9 Music in Richmond, Virginia; Sibyle Hager of Tri-City Electronics in Conover, North Carolina; and Sara Foster of Foster's Market, in Durham, North Carolina. Foster is the author of Fresh Every Day: More Great Recipes From Foster's Market (Clarkson N. Potter).

The independent retailers panel is one of two sessions at SEBA sponsored by ABA: The other is "It's in the Payroll!," presented by Len Vlahos, director of BookSense.com. This panel will examine payroll control, the single largest component on the expense side of the ledger, and arguably the most difficult issue for booksellers to handle successfully. "It's in the Payroll!" is scheduled for Friday, September 16, from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

ABA will also have a booth on the trade show floor, where the focus will be on education and information. Booksellers are encouraged to stop by the booth to meet with Teicher, Vlahos, and Book Sense Marketing Director Mark Nichols. Visitors to the booth can drop off their business card for a chance to win airfare and hotel accommodations for ABA's Winter Institute [6] or an inkjet printer.

Booksellers with questions or comments about the Main Street panel, or any other ABA programming at the trade show, are encouraged to contact Teicher at [email protected] [7]. Questions and requests for information about ABA's participation at SEBA may also be directed to Kristen Gilligan, associate director of programming and constituent groups liaison, at [email protected] [8].