R.J. Julias Experiment

R.J. Julia Booksellers, an independent bookstore in Madison, Connecticut, is branching out--or at least trying out a new offshoot. Owner Roxanne Coady told BTW that the store opened a "big, beautiful, mahogany book kiosk" in New Haven, Connecticut, on December 3.

A friend who owns property in New Haven approached Coady about opening a kiosk. "She was willing to underwrite [the venture] for 12 months," Coady explained. The kiosk is in the Maritime Center, two commercial buildings with over two thousand tenants, located "on the water side" in the downtown area.

Coady said there are a lot of corporate clients, "a pretty finite audience" for the kiosk.

In order to assess what types of books will sell at the kiosk, Coady explained, the store was "going to do a survey" of the people who work in the vicinity. The kiosk has 48 linear feet of shelf space and is open five days a week from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

"I like the idea of a low-cost way of getting closer to the customer," Coady explained. If this book kiosk is a success, Coady said, she would consider placing kiosks in other locations, such as hospitals and office buildings.