I have been in love with the idea of owning my own bookstore since I was a child. I am always scouting out places that would be sites for a bookstore. I have seen a couple franchise college bookstores around. Would opening my own bookstore be a failure? Would it be more successful if it were college books? Any idea on the success rates of bookstores? I have even been considering giving it it's own spin like a theatre in the back or the sales of media or foods.
2006-07-11 04:16:18 · 3 answers · asked by Anonymous in Business & Finance ➔ Small Business
Associations may be a good avenue to explore as well. These organizations will address many of the thoughts, questions and concerns you'll inevitably have as well as many you haven't anticipated yet. See the source box for some relevant links.
Research, research, research – this cannot be stressed enough. Read as much as you can about the industry. Here are some book titles that are relevant:
* FabJob Guide to Become a Bookstore Owner (FabJob Guides) by Grace Jasmine
* How To Start & Manage A Bookstore Business: A Practical Way To Start Your Own Business
by Jerre G. Lewis, Leslie D. Renn
* Retail Business Kit for Dummies by Rick Segel
* Retail Success! by George Whalin
There are plenty of free informational resources out there. Check the source box for links to articles.
Hope that helps! I wish you much success & happiness in all your ventures!
2006-07-11 06:47:12 · answer #1 · answered by TM Express™ 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
You sound serious. Turning your dreams into reality will take a tremendous amount of effort on your part.
Please don't rely on a message board for your answer. Buy a bookstore business plan. Study it and see if you're still interested. It might be a good idea to get a part time job at one before making the leap.
2006-07-11 04:28:00 · answer #2 · answered by noils 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
American Booksellers Association (Bookweb.org) http://www.bookweb.org/news/btw/1932.html has an interesting discourse on the travails of independent booksellers. The piece was written in 1999 and contains data on bookstore failures. The chart came from Dun and Bradstreet, so you may want to check up on them if they have updated information on closings of bookstores.
You may also want to read their article "Main Street Fights Chain Street" on the competition between local stores and retail giants http://news.bookweb.org/news/4048.html
BizMiner has reports on Business Failure rates http://www.bizminer.com/business-failure-business-risk.asp which unfortunately is not free.
2006-07-11 05:25:08 · answer #3 · answered by imisidro 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋