Los Angeles' The Last Bookstore

[Alpha8472]

Not all bookstores are closing down. There are still some surviving in the middle of downtown Los Angeles. This one is in a very interesting looking building.

https://www.sfgate.com/la/article/last- ... 462012.php

[ClownLoach]

Considering Barnes & Noble is their largest growth spurt in two decades and trying to acquire leases large and small, I would say that bookstores are alive and will at the small and large levels, just evolving.

The bookstores that are closing didn't evolve with the rest of the industry. There is also a outsized contingent of small individual proprietor stores that are usually closing due to retirements.

The same can be said for most other retail sectors.

[buckguy]

Indie bookstores are thriving. The idies have survived by emphasizing service and understanding who their customers are. They also have multiple ways to drive traffic---the surviving stores do a lot of author events---DC's Politics and Prose has quite a few of these on C-Span which creates an audience that makes the store a destination for visitors. Stores that aren't on the national tours also do events, often showcasing local authors. Indies usually sponsor book groups and have loyalty programs which drive volume for both new and back stock books. At the same time, even the bigger indies aren't trying to be all things to all people, while also avoiding over-specialization. There used to be mystery and, to a lesser extent, travel book stores and those were hard hit by Amazon. It's also common for surviving stores to mix used and new books--big stores like Powell's in Portland, Strand in NYC, and Loganberry in Cleveland have done well with these models.

In some ways B&N is the tail wagging the dog. Small business has saved the niche and B&N, which has always been relatively flexible for a chain has benefited from that. They never operated stores that were as comprehensive as Borders' flagships or regional big boxes like Davis-Kidd and they probably learned a lot about non-book retail from the years where they ran college book stores. A big part of B&N's problem was that they lost a lot of money on Nook. They were lucky to have desirable leases they could sell or easily exit. They don't necessarily do all the same things as indies, but they know how to tailor selections and get a lot from non-book sales. Successful indies, even the little ones, create destinations in neighborhood business districts, whereas B&N relies on being in high traffic locations.

[ClownLoach]

Indie bookstores are thriving. The idies have survived by emphasizing service and understanding who their customers are. They also have multiple ways to drive traffic---the surviving stores do a lot of author events---DC's Politics and Prose has quite a few of these on C-Span which creates an audience that makes the store a destination for visitors. Stores that aren't on the national tours also do events, often showcasing local authors. Indies usually sponsor book groups and have loyalty programs which drive volume for both new and back stock books. At the same time, even the bigger indies aren't trying to be all things to all people, while also avoiding over-specialization. There used to be mystery and, to a lesser extent, travel book stores and those were hard hit by Amazon. It's also common for surviving stores to mix used and new books--big stores like Powell's in Portland, Strand in NYC, and Loganberry in Cleveland have done well with these models.

In some ways B&N is the tail wagging the dog. Small business has saved the niche and B&N, which has always been relatively flexible for a chain has benefited from that. They never operated stores that were as comprehensive as Borders' flagships or regional big boxes like Davis-Kidd and they probably learned a lot about non-book retail from the years where they ran college book stores. A big part of B&N's problem was that they lost a lot of money on Nook. They were lucky to have desirable leases they could sell or easily exit. They don't necessarily do all the same things as indies, but they know how to tailor selections and get a lot from non-book sales. Successful indies, even the little ones, create destinations in neighborhood business districts, whereas B&N relies on being in high traffic locations.

And the indie bookstores are the secret to the revival of B&N.

Although most are doing well, they are really a "labor of love" that does not necessarily pay well.

B&N threw out the corporate play book, planograms, paid promotional endcaps, space planning departments, etc. that made their stores generic.

Their new secret to success is real people with experience. They find the independent bookstore owners who are in distress and want out for reasons outside of their control, like crazy rent increases. They do a good job of vetting them to ensure that they know what they are doing and understand the customer. They are treating this almost like a franchise in a way, come operate a B&N and get a regular salary, benefits, bonus etc. instead of worrying about the next insurance bill going up or whatever else. And you're expected to run it like it's your own store. You are put in a store that is in the same area where you are an expert on the needs and wants of the customers. You are given the authority to do all the ordering and alter the company's lists however you want. And the company has all the systems in place to help you better understand what is and isn't selling so you can analyze the business instead of corporate people or AI ordering systems. Make your own endcaps and feature tables to make the store feel local. Basically their success today that has led to a big expansion is getting bigger by acting smaller. And I would bet they're more profitable because they don't need to hire all the brainless corporate executives who sit in the office all day and think they know what the customer wants then send it to the store. I notice far less clearance sections and blowout sales now that the store is only ordering what actually sells.

The other helper is B&N no longer wastes money on fancy decorations or furniture. The only two expensive investments are lighting and bookcases which are nicer designs similar to the original Amazon Books concept. The rest of the new stores are barebones, concrete floors and such for super low cost to open. New stores do not get a Cafe for example unless plumbing and utilities are already present because of the high cost of adding them.

[veteran+]

Indie bookstores are thriving. The idies have survived by emphasizing service and understanding who their customers are. They also have multiple ways to drive traffic---the surviving stores do a lot of author events---DC's Politics and Prose has quite a few of these on C-Span which creates an audience that makes the store a destination for visitors. Stores that aren't on the national tours also do events, often showcasing local authors. Indies usually sponsor book groups and have loyalty programs which drive volume for both new and back stock books. At the same time, even the bigger indies aren't trying to be all things to all people, while also avoiding over-specialization. There used to be mystery and, to a lesser extent, travel book stores and those were hard hit by Amazon. It's also common for surviving stores to mix used and new books--big stores like Powell's in Portland, Strand in NYC, and Loganberry in Cleveland have done well with these models.

In some ways B&N is the tail wagging the dog. Small business has saved the niche and B&N, which has always been relatively flexible for a chain has benefited from that. They never operated stores that were as comprehensive as Borders' flagships or regional big boxes like Davis-Kidd and they probably learned a lot about non-book retail from the years where they ran college book stores. A big part of B&N's problem was that they lost a lot of money on Nook. They were lucky to have desirable leases they could sell or easily exit. They don't necessarily do all the same things as indies, but they know how to tailor selections and get a lot from non-book sales. Successful indies, even the little ones, create destinations in neighborhood business districts, whereas B&N relies on being in high traffic locations.

And the indie bookstores are the secret to the revival of B&N.

Although most are doing well, they are really a "labor of love" that does not necessarily pay well.

B&N threw out the corporate play book, planograms, paid promotional endcaps, space planning departments, etc. that made their stores generic.

Their new secret to success is real people with experience. They find the independent bookstore owners who are in distress and want out for reasons outside of their control, like crazy rent increases. They do a good job of vetting them to ensure that they know what they are doing and understand the customer. They are treating this almost like a franchise in a way, come operate a B&N and get a regular salary, benefits, bonus etc. instead of worrying about the next insurance bill going up or whatever else. And you're expected to run it like it's your own store. You are put in a store that is in the same area where you are an expert on the needs and wants of the customers. You are given the authority to do all the ordering and alter the company's lists however you want. And the company has all the systems in place to help you better understand what is and isn't selling so you can analyze the business instead of corporate people or AI ordering systems. Make your own endcaps and feature tables to make the store feel local. Basically their success today that has led to a big expansion is getting bigger by acting smaller. And I would bet they're more profitable because they don't need to hire all the brainless corporate executives who sit in the office all day and think they know what the customer wants then send it to the store. I notice far less clearance sections and blowout sales now that the store is only ordering what actually sells.

The other helper is B&N no longer wastes money on fancy decorations or furniture. The only two expensive investments are lighting and bookcases which are nicer designs similar to the original Amazon Books concept. The rest of the new stores are barebones, concrete floors and such for super low cost to open. New stores do not get a Cafe for example unless plumbing and utilities are already present because of the high cost of adding them.

Book Soup on Sunset Bl. in West Hollywood has been thriving since 1975.

[buckguy]

Indie bookstores are thriving. The idies have survived by emphasizing service and understanding who their customers are. They also have multiple ways to drive traffic---the surviving stores do a lot of author events---DC's Politics and Prose has quite a few of these on C-Span which creates an audience that makes the store a destination for visitors. Stores that aren't on the national tours also do events, often showcasing local authors. Indies usually sponsor book groups and have loyalty programs which drive volume for both new and back stock books. At the same time, even the bigger indies aren't trying to be all things to all people, while also avoiding over-specialization. There used to be mystery and, to a lesser extent, travel book stores and those were hard hit by Amazon. It's also common for surviving stores to mix used and new books--big stores like Powell's in Portland, Strand in NYC, and Loganberry in Cleveland have done well with these models.

In some ways B&N is the tail wagging the dog. Small business has saved the niche and B&N, which has always been relatively flexible for a chain has benefited from that. They never operated stores that were as comprehensive as Borders' flagships or regional big boxes like Davis-Kidd and they probably learned a lot about non-book retail from the years where they ran college book stores. A big part of B&N's problem was that they lost a lot of money on Nook. They were lucky to have desirable leases they could sell or easily exit. They don't necessarily do all the same things as indies, but they know how to tailor selections and get a lot from non-book sales. Successful indies, even the little ones, create destinations in neighborhood business districts, whereas B&N relies on being in high traffic locations.

And the indie bookstores are the secret to the revival of B&N.

Although most are doing well, they are really a "labor of love" that does not necessarily pay well.

B&N threw out the corporate play book, planograms, paid promotional endcaps, space planning departments, etc. that made their stores generic.

Their new secret to success is real people with experience. They find the independent bookstore owners who are in distress and want out for reasons outside of their control, like crazy rent increases. They do a good job of vetting them to ensure that they know what they are doing and understand the customer. They are treating this almost like a franchise in a way, come operate a B&N and get a regular salary, benefits, bonus etc. instead of worrying about the next insurance bill going up or whatever else. And you're expected to run it like it's your own store. You are put in a store that is in the same area where you are an expert on the needs and wants of the customers. You are given the authority to do all the ordering and alter the company's lists however you want. And the company has all the systems in place to help you better understand what is and isn't selling so you can analyze the business instead of corporate people or AI ordering systems. Make your own endcaps and feature tables to make the store feel local. Basically their success today that has led to a big expansion is getting bigger by acting smaller. And I would bet they're more profitable because they don't need to hire all the brainless corporate executives who sit in the office all day and think they know what the customer wants then send it to the store. I notice far less clearance sections and blowout sales now that the store is only ordering what actually sells.

The other helper is B&N no longer wastes money on fancy decorations or furniture. The only two expensive investments are lighting and bookcases which are nicer designs similar to the original Amazon Books concept. The rest of the new stores are barebones, concrete floors and such for super low cost to open. New stores do not get a Cafe for example unless plumbing and utilities are already present because of the high cost of adding them.

They may have hired people from distressed indies where you are but they haven't done that here, because the indies are doing just fine and even opening new stores. I doubt that they have thrown out entire playbooks (that just sounds like hype)---the stores are still recognizably B&N.

Successful indies create a sense of personal connection with their customers yet letting them browse and have a more intuitive sense of what sells than a regression equation would give them (the downside to AI is that it computationally leads toward regression to the mean). The indies that were most affected by Amazon often lacked this---the owners and staff liked books more than people. B&N has never had the character of a good indie like, for example. Vrooman's in Pasadena. Border's had it in their original Ann Arbor store but lost it when they expanded under KMart. B&N was predictable--despite different store sizes, they usually were a good place for holiday cards, newsstand stuff, and maps, for example, and they were able to capitalize on high traffic locations.

[veteran+]

Vrooman's bought Book Soup!

[ClownLoach]

Indie bookstores are thriving. The idies have survived by emphasizing service and understanding who their customers are. They also have multiple ways to drive traffic---the surviving stores do a lot of author events---DC's Politics and Prose has quite a few of these on C-Span which creates an audience that makes the store a destination for visitors. Stores that aren't on the national tours also do events, often showcasing local authors. Indies usually sponsor book groups and have loyalty programs which drive volume for both new and back stock books. At the same time, even the bigger indies aren't trying to be all things to all people, while also avoiding over-specialization. There used to be mystery and, to a lesser extent, travel book stores and those were hard hit by Amazon. It's also common for surviving stores to mix used and new books--big stores like Powell's in Portland, Strand in NYC, and Loganberry in Cleveland have done well with these models.

In some ways B&N is the tail wagging the dog. Small business has saved the niche and B&N, which has always been relatively flexible for a chain has benefited from that. They never operated stores that were as comprehensive as Borders' flagships or regional big boxes like Davis-Kidd and they probably learned a lot about non-book retail from the years where they ran college book stores. A big part of B&N's problem was that they lost a lot of money on Nook. They were lucky to have desirable leases they could sell or easily exit. They don't necessarily do all the same things as indies, but they know how to tailor selections and get a lot from non-book sales. Successful indies, even the little ones, create destinations in neighborhood business districts, whereas B&N relies on being in high traffic locations.

And the indie bookstores are the secret to the revival of B&N.

Although most are doing well, they are really a "labor of love" that does not necessarily pay well.

B&N threw out the corporate play book, planograms, paid promotional endcaps, space planning departments, etc. that made their stores generic.

Their new secret to success is real people with experience. They find the independent bookstore owners who are in distress and want out for reasons outside of their control, like crazy rent increases. They do a good job of vetting them to ensure that they know what they are doing and understand the customer. They are treating this almost like a franchise in a way, come operate a B&N and get a regular salary, benefits, bonus etc. instead of worrying about the next insurance bill going up or whatever else. And you're expected to run it like it's your own store. You are put in a store that is in the same area where you are an expert on the needs and wants of the customers. You are given the authority to do all the ordering and alter the company's lists however you want. And the company has all the systems in place to help you better understand what is and isn't selling so you can analyze the business instead of corporate people or AI ordering systems. Make your own endcaps and feature tables to make the store feel local. Basically their success today that has led to a big expansion is getting bigger by acting smaller. And I would bet they're more profitable because they don't need to hire all the brainless corporate executives who sit in the office all day and think they know what the customer wants then send it to the store. I notice far less clearance sections and blowout sales now that the store is only ordering what actually sells.

The other helper is B&N no longer wastes money on fancy decorations or furniture. The only two expensive investments are lighting and bookcases which are nicer designs similar to the original Amazon Books concept. The rest of the new stores are barebones, concrete floors and such for super low cost to open. New stores do not get a Cafe for example unless plumbing and utilities are already present because of the high cost of adding them.

They may have hired people from distressed indies where you are but they haven't done that here, because the indies are doing just fine and even opening new stores. I doubt that they have thrown out entire playbooks (that just sounds like hype)---the stores are still recognizably B&N.

Successful indies create a sense of personal connection with their customers yet letting them browse and have a more intuitive sense of what sells than a regression equation would give them (the downside to AI is that it computationally leads toward regression to the mean). The indies that were most affected by Amazon often lacked this---the owners and staff liked books more than people. B&N has never had the character of a good indie like, for example. Vrooman's in Pasadena. Border's had it in their original Ann Arbor store but lost it when they expanded under KMart. B&N was predictable--despite different store sizes, they usually were a good place for holiday cards, newsstand stuff, and maps, for example, and they were able to capitalize on high traffic locations.

The B&N change isn't something local, in fact it began outside of the US. They gave control back to the stores and stopped sending the same generic assortment to every building. I don't understand how one could not notice the change as the endcaps and feature tables are 100% locally set displays. Sometimes the signs aren't even printed but handwritten. They don't use the same decor if any at all. Every aspect of the company is unique from store to store. Even the bestseller rack is based on the local store and not the NY Times chart. It's been heavily reported on. The way they hire Managers will probably vary, a radio interview with the CEO mentioned hiring owners of local bookstores as Store Managers. Basically B&N is being turned into the UK chain Waterstones which is well respected... And the new owner of B&N. I do find it interesting that the CEO said that sometimes they find when they get rid of the company playbook sales actually go down but then they can help fix them.

https://www.fastcompany.com/90834188/ba ... r-comeback

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/17/styl ... esign.html