Bookstores & Hardware Stores Unite for Indie Marketing Initiative

On December 1, nine indie bookstores and eight indie hardware stores, all members of the San Francisco Locally Owned Merchants Association (SFLOMA), will join in a cooperative marketing initiative designed both to appeal to indie retail customers and to promote the value of shopping at other independent businesses. For a limited-time, bookstores in the promotion will display easels bearing take-away coupons offering customers an added incentive to shop at participating hardware stores, and the hardware stores will do the same to drive business to participating indie bookstores. The project was the brainchild of the American Booksellers Association, the San Francisco Locally Owned Merchants Alliance, and the Northern California Independent Booksellers Association (NCIBA).

"We believe that the attributes that indies share attract a demographic that cuts across retail categories," said ABA COO Oren Teicher. "This reciprocal promotion will introduce both the hardware stores and the bookstores to great prospective customers. San Francisco is a city with a vibrant and successful indie retailing community, so this was an apt place to test this promotion."

Hut Landon, executive director of NCIBA, told BTW that ABA Vice President Michael Tucker, co-owner of Books Inc., and SFLOMA founding member Rick Karp of Cole Hardware took the lead on the initiative. "This is the first time that I know of where two specific retail categories have cross-promoted in this way," Landon said, adding that if the promotion works it could be a model for other areas. "This initiative is really what IndieBound is about -- working with other retailers and marketing collectively."

Said Karp, via e-mail, "Folks who patronize independent bookstores value the services that they provide. People shop with us for the same reason. We provide value not only through our competitive pricing but, especially, because of the services we provide to our customers and to the community at large."

Karp noted that he's been working with local bookstore owners, as well as NCIBA, for a number of years. "Together we started SFLOMA. Over this time, we've spoken casually about doing some cross marketing. This fit in with the IndieBound concept, and it was felt that San Francisco would be a good testing ground for the idea."

The promotion features counter-top easels in red and green, with SFLOMA and IndieBound logos and space for the store logo, that promote discount coupons, which read: "A holiday offer from one independent to another." The hardware store easel will note, "Books are a gift beyond measure, this locally owned, indie hardware store invites you to visit a locally owned indie bookstore." The easel for bookstores will similarly read: "Hardware is a gift beyond measure," with an invite to shop at a local hardware store. On the back of each coupon is a list of participating stores.

"Booksellers who are interested in creating their own cross-marketing promotions are free to adapt the materials created for the San Francisco initiative," said ABA's Teicher. "We'd just ask that they let us know about their efforts." --David Grogan