A Three-City Tour: Independent Booksellers Prepare for Political Conventions

Over the next few weeks, the eyes of the nation will turn first to Denver and then to Minnesota's Twin Cities for the Democratic National Convention and Republican National Convention, respectively. As the population swells in each of the cities -- when delegates, media, and politicos come for some socializing, caucusing, and, yes, to see their candidate receive the official nomination of their party -- opportunities abound for local indie booksellers. Here is a look at what some Denver and Twin Cities bookstores are doing for the upcoming conventions.

In just four days, the population of Denver will temporarily swell by about 50,000: The 45th Democratic National Convention is coming to town, and it will bring with it, according to the DNC website, some 5,000 delegates, 15,000 media types, and 30,000 employees, politicians, and assorted other visitors.

Traffic jams are sure to ensue, but for indie bookstores, business opportunities abound: window displays, reading lists, and events are sure to be enticing to weary conventioneers, curious tourists, and enterprising journalists alike.

With that in mind, the Tattered Cover Book Store staff have been busy planning to make the most of the Lower Downtown store's prime location. "We're doing quite a bit," said Matt Miller, general manager. "Our LoDo store is right in the middle of activities -- we're just a few blocks from where the convention will be held."

Visitors to the city's Pepsi Center would do well to walk over to the bookstore during the convention. They can purchase souvenirs, including nonbook items like the official Democratic National Convention T-shirt and mug, politically themed gifts, and other convention-related items.

A variety of displays will make shopping easier for those who want a book-souvenir: Right and Left Books, Books by Journalists, and General Political Books will be featured.

Also, Miller said, "In conjunction with the Rocky Mountain Land Library, we're doing a display of a Reading List for the President-Elect." He explained, "The list is by a handful of Western writers whom we asked: 'What Western books would you urge on the next inhabitant of the White House? What do they need to know about our region, and where can they find information, inspiration, and guidance?'" Several authors offered suggestions, including George Sibley, Barry Lopez, Rick Bass, and Laura Pritchett.

Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, the author of Know Your Power: A Message to America's Daughters (Doubleday), kicked things off at the LoDo store on August 20, and Tattered Cover's Colfax Avenue location will host Eleanor Clift (Two Weeks of Life: A Memoir of Love, Death, and Politics, Basic Books) and Jessamyn Conrad (What You Should Know About Politics ... But Don't: A Nonpartisan Guide to the Issues, Arcade) during the convention. The Colfax store also will host a seminar about the Convention's history.

A few doors down from the LoDo store, online history may well be made at The Big Tent, a two-story tent that will house 500 bloggers and journalists from around the country. Miller said Tattered Cover will do activities with The Big Tent, in addition to selling books at off-site venues and renting out event space to media groups and a private party.

At StoryVille Books, also in Denver, there's a lot less space -- but owner Lynne Benedict has nonetheless put her small meeting-area to good use. She said, "We're not following the convention, per se, but every Wednesday night we host a class on the history of the Constitution and the history of law ... where things started, and how things are going."

Benedict said she'd been looking for speakers, or seminars, to draw people into her used bookstore, and this class has served that purpose: The number of attendees has grown from three to 30 people each week. "It's a little crowded, but it's exciting."

One member of the weekly class will be going to Minnesota in September. "He's going to be a delegate at the Republican National Convention, and he'll be going to the Ron Paul Rally for the Republic convention, too. He'll be coming back with stories!" Benedict said.

At the University of Denver Bookstore, political-themed displays will be placed in strategic spots on the 10,000-square-foot sales floor. Pamela Porter, coursepack and general book buyer, said there will be an Obama-themed book display at the information desk, and political-humor books -- including titles by Jon Stewart and Bill Maher, plus Stephen Colbert's I Am America (And So Can You!) (Grand Central Publishing) -- will be in the reading area. A front display will contain some humor books as well as children's book on elections, the Constitution, and the like.

"We also have a point-of-purchase display of Vincent Bugliosi's The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder (Vanguard Press) because he'll be speaking at the Convention next week," she said.

As for who might be coming in to buy those books, Porter said, "People who are working at the Convention [are] staying at the university dorms.... We expect 1,000 extra people on campus, but don't know what to expect for foot traffic."

Public transportation may well bring shoppers, though: "We're fairly close to the convention, and it is very convenient to get downtown. I expect many people staying on campus will take the light rail, which stops at the campus and downtown."

This year represents the second time Minnesota has hosted the Republican National Convention -- the first time, in 1892, when the convention was in Minneapolis. This time around, in its 39th year, it will take place at St. Paul's Xcel Energy Center from September 1 - September 4, and it is expected to bring an estimated 45,000 visitors to town.

The historic Cathedral Hill area of St. Paul, just a few blocks from the convention center, is home to Common Good Books. Sue Zumberge, manager of the bookstore, said that, about a month ago, she asked owner Garrison Keillor what kind of face he wanted to put on the store for the Republican National Convention. "He said, 'What do you mean?' I said, 'Anything special in the windows, or any displays of a certain nature?'" Zumberge noted Keillor's response was, "'It's back-to-school week, isn't it?'"

"That said," Zumberge added, "we are doing events throughout that week for people who contacted us." The lineup includes James Read, author of Doorstep Democracy: Face-to-Face Politics in the Heartland (University of Minnesota Press) and Mark Ireland, who wrote Wellstone: The Conscience of the Senate, which is published by North Star Press, a small press in St. Cloud, Minnesota.

Common Good also will be selling books at two outside events during convention week: "One is for AM 950, the Air America station here ... and we'll be selling a number of Laura Bush's children's books for a gentleman at CivicFest."

"We're hoping to have our usual customers," she added. "We're not in a huge retail area, and while we're close to the convention center, we're up a big hill. It's an historically significant area, though, and walking-tour maps will be distributed at the convention."

Zumberge said, "It's a quirky spot -- we do think some people will find us, but we're not sure if we'll get more conventioneers or protestors. We're curious to see what happens."

At Micawber's Books, also in St. Paul, there aren't great expectations for an influx of conventioneers. Co-owner Hans Weyandt said of the 2,000-square-foot bookstore in a neighborhood retail district, "We're not close enough, really, to attract a lot of attention from the convention ... we're just doing the normal things."

However, "There's been a lot more political stuff out this August than there is normally -- we have a lot more political and current events books displayed than we usually do."

The Citizen Solution: How You Can Make a Difference by Harry C. Boyte, published by Minnesota Historical Society Press, has been selling well at the store, as has "all different kinds of Obama stuff -- certainly his two books, but also a lot of books about him," Weyandt said. Leading the pack: Obamanomics: How Bottom-Up Economic Prosperity Will Replace Trickle-Down Economics by John R. Talbot (Seven STories Press).

Weyandt said the store might've prepared differently had the Democratic Convention been coming to town. "We definitely try to represent lots of different points of view, but what our customer base is looking for normally is left-of-center. There are going to be people coming to town for protesting, though -- we may get some of them."

Jay Peterson, manager of Minneapolis' Magers & Quinn Booksellers, said the stick-with-what's-working approach is in place for convention-time.

The bookstore is located in the Uptown neighborhood -- a vibrant area with restaurants, a movie theater, and coffee shops. It thrives on selling literary fiction, and typically gets a lot of visitors -- residents and tourists alike. "It's one of the few places in Minneapolis, outside of downtown and the malls, that have good foot traffic," Peterson said.

He said he expects "we'll get both convention-goers and protesters here. The hotels are booked for a pretty wide swath of the metropolitan area, and people definitely will be passing through [during the convention]."

Nonetheless, the bookstore staff met to discuss the RNC's arrival, and "We decided, outside of events, to stick with our regular M.O. in terms of titles we stock and so forth ... maybe increase quantities a bit knowing there'll be an extra 40,000 people in town."

Win McCormack (You Don't Know Me: A Citizen's Guide to Republican Family Values, Tin House Books) and Eleanor Clift will be visiting, both, Peterson explained, "will happen to be in town covering the event for journalistic purposes, and will visit while they're here."

Otherwise, he said, "I get the sense some of the people here will be exhausted by the end of the day and might want to pick up a book of poems, or a novel for the ride home."

His recommendation for a temporary escape? "I would suggest Out Stealing Horses[by Per Petterson, Picador]. It's set in the hinterlands of Norway -- if you really want to get away from politics, take a ride out to the real Norway with this guy." --Linda M. Castellitto