Canadians Love Their Online BookstoresA book canadian online store had three managers -- Waterbury, who prided herself in having considerable knowledge about the Bible in its various editions; Harriet Moore, a Des Moines singer; and Megan Carson, Gibson's daughter. Along the way, capitalization of the book canadian online store was increased to provide new fixtures, and Warner sold his interest. (Now, Gibson and Carson own two-thirds of the business, and the Vanderhoef family owns the other third.) The store expects to have sales in excess of $ 250,000 this year, and "it's not operating at a loss," says Gibson. He notes there has been a "steady market for books" and, in fact, the demand for books is "even growing a little." When The Book Store got started, Gibson estimated annual book sales for metropolitan Des Moines were at $ 1 per person. Now, because of inflation and increased purchases, he suggests the figure is $ 10 a person. At its new location, the store even attracts visiting celebrities who stay at the nearby Marriott. Carson looked up once to see Bryant Gumble, the "Today Show" host, browsing in the store. He bought a book. Folks interested in books know The New York Times' weekly best-seller list is an important indicator for the U.S. industry, and The Book Store supplies sales reports to The Times for its compilations. But interviews with Gibson and Carson may provide even better information on the state of the book industry, trade-book stores and retailing in downtown Des Moines. Some of the things they say won't be too popular. For instance, Gibson suggests there has been too much emphasis on developing restaurants and bars in downtown Des Moines and attracting only the kind of visitors who frequent such establishments. From his point of view as a bookstore owner, he says he misses the large teacher conventions that used to be held in Des Moines and he guesses that the teachers are missed by some other businesses as well. Instead of more restaurants and bars, Gibson suggests downtown Des Moines should have a "summer stock" type of theater company; he indicates people who like books are the kind who would like some good theater as well, not just wining and dining at the latest restaurant. He also says many people have stopped buying hardback books because of the dramatic price increases in the last few decades -- from something like $ 5.95 to $ 15.95 or up. But he notes that prices of many other goods and services have gone up equally. |