Workshop to Provide Essentials for Opening a Bookstore

"Opening a Bookstore: The Business Essentials," a weeklong workshop for those interested in opening, buying, or investing in a bookstore, will be held from Monday, September 19, to Saturday, September 24, in Stillwater, Minnesota. The program is also appropriate for a prospective bookstore owner's spouse or partner and anyone in a managerial or supervisory position in a bookstore.

In addition to attending the workshop, participants will have the opportunity to visit area bookstores and to attend the Midwest Booksellers Association trade show, which will be held from September 23 - 25, at the RiverCentre in St. Paul.

Workshops sessions will explore how the book industry works and how it differs from other retail industries; what's involved in opening your own store and how much it will cost; what bookstore owners and managers must do every day to be successful; the management disciplines for financial success; what to look for in a computerized management system; the importance of store signage; the core elements of a marketing plan; publisher co-op -- how to get it and ways to use it; and much more.

The workshop will be facilitated by Donna Paz Kaufman and Mark Kaufman of the Bookstore Training and Consulting Group of Paz & Associates and is co-sponsored by the American Booksellers Association. For details, visit www.pazbookbiz.com or call (800) 260-8605.