Bookstore management experts aim to aid faltering local stores

ATLANTA, Ga. – According to Donaa Paz Kaufman, who has built one of the most successful bookstore consulting businesses in the nation, “Retail is theatre in today's world of abundance.” Customers have many choices, she says. So bookstore owners must carefully orchestrate their presentations to encourage shoppers to shop with them.
Competition in the world of bookselling has grown fierce in recent years. Chains, big box stores and Web selling have all entered the market, decimating the neighborhood stores that once dominated the industry.
Despite that, many entrepreneurs

still yearn to own a bookstore, where they can spend their days surrounded by books. But balancing romantic notions with reality is critical for anyone who is ready to invest in opening or running a bookstore.
Inadequate training and preparation remains the primary reason new bookstore owners fail, the Kaufmans caution. Too many still underestimate the many tasks involved in this complex and unique form of retail.
The key to an informed launch of a new bookstore is education and training.
To that end, Ms. Kaufman and her husband Mark, recognized as the top bookstore coaches in the U.S. for new and existing owners, will be conducting a free workshop from 12 noon to 3 p.m. on Aug. 10 at the new “Name that Show” book show scheduled for Aug. 10-12 at the Georgia World Congress Center in downtown Atlanta. Those who wish to attend the seminar must pre-register at the Name that Show Web site.
Larry May of Knoxville, Tenn., who is bringing the show and the Kaufman workshop to Atlanta, said the Kaufmans promise to provide new insights into affordable ways to improve a store's layout, using focal point displays, and integrating store design, merchandising and promotional signage to produce the desired final result – sales!