A few dozen book fans braved freezing temperatures Wednesday morning, patiently sipping coffee.
Right at 9 a.m., Georgia-based mystery author Mary Kay Andrews cut the ribbon for the new Barnes and Noble store at Avenue East Cobb.
She just published her 30th novel, “Bright Lights, Big Christmas,” and has attended many bookstore events.
But this is the first time she’s been asked to perform a ribbon-cutting, along with Barnes and Noble managers and Dr. Seuss’ Cat in the Hat.
“It’s a beautiful new store,” said Andrews—the pen name of former Atlanta journalist Kathy Trocheck—at the end of a book-signing session during the store’s first hour of business.
“Any time a bookstore opens, an angel sings.”
Barnes and Noble also has invited a number of authors for signing events during the first few weeks. Among the events is a Cat in the Hat storytime for children Saturday from 9-10 a.m.
You can read through the full schedule by clicking here.
For Barnes and Noble, the 15,000-square-foot space—where Bed Bath and Beyond was located—is part of a new concept.
It’s a smaller footprint, but features a more open and airy floor plan, with sunshine beaming through large windows at the front. The café area—which was used for the book-signing—has a full-length window.
On Wednesday, customers were treated to coffee, bagels and cookies. The seating area will include a variety of tables, and there will be seating at the bar as well.
There also are browsing seats scattered around.
But the essential new feature is a more locally curated book selection, what management calls “the best of books.”
“We look at the demographics of an area—synagogues, schools, etc., and also look at what our closest stores are selling,” said Moné Fair, Barnes and Noble’s Georgia area manager.
The “best of” is also determined by sales figures, according to inventory control specialist David Mason.
He’s in charge of ordering books directly—another departure for Barnes and Noble—and will be looking at real-time data to further refine the selections for local customers.
Previously, books were ordered via company headquarters in New York. Mason, who moved about the new store Wednesday with a tablet device bearing data, said Barnes and Noble has been using this approach for three years.
He said it won’t be long “before we’ll know what sells here. We’ll have a really good sense about what an East Cobb store will look like.”
Managers said they didn’t know how many books were on display, but they have spent the last week or so unloading 75,000 pounds of books.
There are also toys, games, and puzzles with an educational focus for children, and even a display with a variety vinyl albums.
“For every CD we sell, we sell 10 vinyl records,” Mason said.
The reason? It’s an immersive feeling, he said, just like picking up a book, and turning the pages.
Barnes and Noble is open Monday-Saturday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
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