How to Start Bookstores
Even in these days of television and the Internet, books are still very popular. Few things are more enjoyable than curling up with a good book, which means a bookstore can be a very successful business if you do it right. Perhaps you've been an avid reader and have always dreamed of starting your own bookstore. Or maybe you see the need for a bookstore in your community and believe it would be a worthwhile business venture. Regardless of your reason for wanting to start your own bookstore, opening a new business can be both exciting and stressful. But it does require some careful planning and attention to details.
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Instructions
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Create a business plan, including research into the viability of your new business venture in the area which it is to be located. Consult with the Small Business Administration and SCORE for advice and assistance on fine-tuning your business plan. They can also help you locate funding resources, including helping you complete loan applications.
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Choose a good location. Many businesses fail or succeed based on where they are located. If you locate your store in a small, rural community where people are more interested in television than books, you are more likely to fail. You should try to place your bookstore in a busy location near a university or other similar location.
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Advertise, especially targeting the demographic groups most likely to frequent your bookstore. If you live in a predominately older community, you can target the local retirement communities with your ads and fliers. Another demographic group to target is college students, which means you might have a line of textbooks, backpacks and other college-related items.
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Offer incentives for patrons to want to visit and revisit your bookstore, such as a book club. Or host a writers' forum each week, where writers and readers can interact and discuss literature and the art of writing. Another incentive could be a coffee nook, where people can sit and read in a relaxing environment. You might also want to provide wireless Internet access.
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Create and circulate a bestsellers' list as a part of your marketing and advertising campaign. You can do this in part by creating mailers and fliers that are sent or given to the demographic group at which you are aiming.
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