Giving the adults some fun things to buy at a children’s bookstore.

It’s the time of year when one item flies out of the store — in flocks.

A retailer’s mad dash from Thanksgiving to Christmas is always crazy and stressful and wild, but it can also be wonderful. At the Flying Pig, this year’s holiday retail season was especially fun, and it wasn’t just because registers were ringing and people packed the store (although of course that was a big part of it). There was just something extra this year, and I think it was… appreciation.

It was 60 degrees in Vermont yesterday. Warm weather does not inspire holiday shopping. It’s actually kind of freaky here: some mums are still blooming, the mosquitoes (a late crop from Hurricane Irene) are still buzzing in people’s ears, and yet, Thanksgiving is a week away.

This year, I’ve noticed that people have already begun buying holiday presents, including stocking stuffers. This amazes me. It’s barely November and some folks are already done with their Christmas shopping.

There is free advertising that’s truly effective, more effective in many ways than any other advertising I’ve done. It’s called a sandwich or sign board. It stands in front of your store by the side of the road so all folks driving by can see it.

Now that the absolute crush of the holidays is behind me, I can reflect on the season. After 14 years of retail, I can honestly say, I have never seen a holiday season like 2010. I’m not sure what happened, but it was gangbusters. We did no advertising, aside from our street-side sign board (very […]

We’ve all heard of elves. Some of us believe in them, and others choose not to. I am a believer. While I’ve never actually seen an elf, I know they are real because every December, something wonderful happens at the store. I leave and go home and when I come back in the morning whole […]

This year we advertised in the Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility annual coupon book. This book is for sale for $10 and it contains over $2,300 in savings at participating stores. The booklet looks great and it’s been distributed throughout Vermont and actively marketed as a great present for socially responsible shoppers who value shopping […]

It’s the holidays and all booksellers are harried. I thought I’d take a moment to give readers an insight into what a busy day at a small store is really like. The store opens at 10:00 a.m., but I try to get there by 8:00 to get caught up with what didn’t get finished the […]